Aurora of the High Heavens
by RayvnAshes2
Summary: Zeref sent Lucy away from Tenrou Island before Acnologia arrived, and the rest of Fairy Tail, now knowing more of what happened, didn't fall into such a deep level of despair. What changes will that bring, and what will the Tenrou group come back to? T-rated, LaLu. Mentions of yaoi. Crossover with a few different series. 'RE-WRITE IN PROGRESS'
1. Determination

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters from other series I use later on.**

**Warning: This will have mentions of child neglect, and some slash later on, though not involving Fairy Tail characters. Well, not that I have planned at any rate.**

**Enjoy!**

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"A Celestial Spirit mage…" Zeref mused blankly, staring at the beautiful blonde girl in contemplation, before shaking his head decisively. "Your kind always seems to mess up even the best of plans. Be gone!"

With that, a dark purple magic circle appeared, and Lucy was pulled into it forcefully. She scrambled to try and grab something, such as the hands of her friends screaming in shock and fear, but the force was too powerful, and she was sucked in.

"What did you do with her?!" Erza demanded, seething in fury as she glared at the darkest mage in history.

"She is alive." He answered dismissively. "I sent her back to your…guild. Now—"

Suddenly, the members of Fairy Tail heard a deafening roar in the distance.

"Is that…" Wendy gasped, her hand going up to cover her mouth.

"I can't be." Gajeel muttered, just as shocked.

"The roar of a dragon!" Natsu said, eyes wide as he caught sight of a huge figure approaching.

"It would seem you have something else to worry about." Zeref finished, walking away.

* * *

"They're gone!" Macao cried out, two days later. "The entire island! It just disappeared!"

It was silent for a moment as the guild processed that information. When Lucy had appeared, thrown through a portal, she had ignored her own injuries and fatigue in lieu of telling the others what was going on, in the hopes of sending help.

Unfortunately, they were too late.

"They're alive." A voice said.

Everyone stared up at the door to the infirmary, where Lucy was barely standing, using the door frame to help support her.

"Lucy-chan, you should still be resting!" Kinana cried, running over to help the girl.

"I'm fine, Kinana." Lucy said with a smile, though her eyes were sad. She glanced towards the others. "We can't lose hope. They're alive. They _have_ to be."

Her voice was so certain that some of the other members calmed down, though they were all weary. Maybe Lucy was right.

"Then what do we do until we can find them?" Wakaba asked.

"Well, Macao was left in charge while the S-Class promotions were going on." Lucy said. "So we have a guild master."

"Great." Macao said with a disgruntled sigh. He had seen how much paper Master Makarov had to do, and was most definitely not looking forward to it.

"But…we're down 20 members." Laki said with a grimace. "Including every single one of our S-Class mages."

"So we recruit." Lucy said firmly, her eyes daring for anybody to argue with her. "And maybe later on we can set up our own S-Class trials."

"Where should we start?" Nab asked, deep voice determined.

At the question, Lucy sighed.

"We'll need to speak with all of our contacts, see if they or anyone they know are interested." She muttered. "And…"

"What?" Droy asked, eyes wet from hearing about Levy's fate. Even if Lucy was so hopeful that they were alright, he was still anxious.

"It might be time for me to reconcile with my father." Lucy said with a sigh. "He doesn't own the Konzern anymore, but still."

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**I already have seven chapters of this written, so the more reviews I get (and please something more substantial than 'I like this' or 'I don't like this' or 'please update') the faster I'll post them.**

**Thank you!**


	2. During the Time Gap

**Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail, etc.**

**Enjoy!**

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Soon after Tenrou Island was destroyed, Lucy had realized that there were quite a few people who deserved to know the fate of their friends, and had gone to tell them personally. Millianna, Sho, and Wally for Erza, her friends' parents, or siblings, or friends…

Among them was Jellal. She had come to see him in prison, and was horrified at his treatment at the hands of the council. She was absolutely furious, but decided to use her brains, and filed for an appeal with the council for Jellal's release.

It hadn't been easy. The rest of the previous Team Jellal had testified what he had been like as a child in the Tower of Heaven, before that fateful day, and Lucy had reasoned that now that he was free from the influence of the possession, he could be that person again. There was another reason for Lucy taking this route, too, so Millianna and the others could come to terms with what had happened. Millianna had even told Kagura, her fellow guild member and the deceased Simon's younger sister, what happened, so she was no longer dead set on killing Jellal in revenge.

Surprisingly, a couple of other people had come to help: Ultear and Meredy, from Grimoure Heart, who she had seen on Tenrou before Zeref had sent her away. The girls hadn't been on the island at the time that it was destroyed, and unfortunately didn't know any more than she did, but it was nice to know that they had survived. Ultear, feeling guilty for her part in Jellal's incarceration, had convinced the council, using her knowledge of their inner workings from having previously been a member herself. Under a disguise, of course, though over the years her appearance had changed enough that she didn't need to do so anymore.

It had taken a while for the three to agree to join Fairy Tail, wanting to create an independent guild so that they could make up for what they had done in the past. However, with the promise that they could still take missions where Zeref might have a hand or to work against dark guilds, they agreed. There was also the benefit that they would be helping the guild that they had committed the most wrong against.

When Lucy had stated her intention to become stronger, so that next time a tragedy such as Tenrou might be avoided, Jellal stepped up. He taught her a few spells that he used as part of his Heavenly Body magic, which was related closely enough to Lucy's Celestial Spirit magic that she didn't have a problem with it. It wasn't as graceful as Jellal's, but then, it wasn't her main magic type. He had also taught her Thought Projection, the magic he had used to create 'Segrain', which was also very useful.

Alongside that, she had trained with her spirits. Strength and endurance from Capricorn, and hand-to-hand combat with both Capricorn _and_ Loke. Fending off larger opponents with Taurus and opponents who used projectiles with Sagittarius, who also taught her how to use a bow, though she still relied on her whip. She had even asked Aquarius to attack her with all she had, which had thrilled the spirit, and was now a much better swimmer because of it, and was able to hold her breath for longer periods of time.

But she didn't only learn how to fight from her spirits. She spent time with all of them on a regular basis, gold and silver keys, though Lyra wasn't available very often and she was careful not to interrupt Scorpio and Aquarius' dates. But she's spend time with Aries, the ram spirit teaching her how to sew, and the two were often joined by Virgo, who had fun making clothing.

She had found a few more silver keys over the years, too, and now knew where the other Zodiac spirits' keys were. Luckily, Yukino Aguria, Sabertooth's Celestial Spirit mage, treated her spirits well, so even though her guild left much to be desired, Lucy didn't mind.

She had even learned a bit of Requip magic, in memory of Erza, even though Lucy had full faith that she would see the other girl again someday. It wasn't nearly as powerful as Erza's, but it was enough for her. She kept her keys, whips, money, writing supplies, and a few changes of clothes in her pocket dimension (since the ones she was wearing got ripped so often). Now she didn't have to worry about someone taking her keys or dropping them, like when Juvia had attacked her all those years ago.

Her hard work had definitely paid off, and she had become an S-Class mage about a year after Tenrou Island had been destroyed. She had felt bad about becoming one when her friends hadn't gotten the chance to finish their own exams, but realized that she couldn't let that hold her back.

She wasn't even the only S-Class mage, either. Shortly after her announcement at the guild, people had started showing up, asking to join.

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**Yeah, I realized it wasn't very fair to ask for substantial reviews when the first chapter didn't have all that much, so I posted the second.**


	3. They're Back!

**Disclaimer: don't own Fairy Tail or any other characters mentioned later on in this story from other series.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"We're back!" a voice shouted, and the doors were kicked off their hinges. Several people cried out in shock or alarm, until the dust settled and they saw just who had come in.

"LEVY!" Jet and Droy screamed, sprinting towards their crush, tackling her in a hug. (Note: with Lucy's confidence that the others were alive, Droy didn't get so depressed that he turned to food, so he's still a normal size).

Many in the hall cheered loudly, and the members that hadn't known the Tenrou group all smiled, happy for their friends as the group re-integrated themselves back into guild life. They were all surprised to note that the group hadn't aged a single day in the seven years that they'd been gone.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu asked worriedly, once things had calmed down a bit. Hearing his question, the others that had been on Tenrou looked at Macao sharply, awaiting his answer.

"She's fine." He assured them. "She's currently on a mission with—"

"Master, we've finished!" a familiar voice called, before the person stopped in shock, taking in the sight in front of her. The girl raised a hand up to her mouth, and her eyes watered.

"I knew it." She whispered.

"LUCY?!" her friends shouted, shocked. Erza and a few others also gasped as they saw who was standing behind her.

"Jellal?" Erza asked, awed.

* * *

"Luce, you haven't aged a day!" Natsu said with a wide grin. Lucy sighed, still catching her breath from when the life was almost squeezed out of her with her friends' hugs, before hitting him upside the head.

"Yes, I have." She insisted. "I know I look pretty much the same, though…"

"You hair is longer." Levy observed. "And you grew a few inches. But Natsu's right, you really don't look all that different."

Lucy really hadn't changed very much. Her hair was wavier and reached her back, and she had grown about 2 inches, but that was it. Of course, her outfit had also changed. Instead of the short skirt and top that showed a fair bit of cleavage, she wore a cream-colored flowing skirt that reached just below her knees, with a matching long-sleeved blouse. She also wore a beautiful gold corset-like top, and paired with the shirt, her breasts were almost completely covered. She had exchanged her black stockings and boots for white heeled boots with gold buckles. She also wore a gold locket and heart earrings similar to the ones she used to. She was also wearing a gold belt, but her keys and whip were nowhere to be seen.

Lucy laughed, admitting that she had a point, before she opened the heart necklace hanging from her neck. She showed them a picture of a woman that looked just like her in a beautiful dark pink dress.

"This is my mom. She was twenty-nine when this picture was taken." Lucy said, smiling wistfully.

"You look just like her!" Lisanna gasped, having been next to Natsu. Lucy grinned at her. "Beautiful…"

"Thank you!" Lucy said with a pleased grin. "Yeah, obviously I took after her in appearance, and if I still look like I did when I was a teenager at 25 years old…well, maybe I'll look like this for another four years."

"Only time will tell." Ultear said with a grin, startling Natsu. Fairy Tail was no stranger to accepting former enemies into the guild, but still.

"So…uh, how exactly did you and my fellow pinkette join Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked awkwardly, directing his question to Ultear. "And Jellal, but with his connection to Erza, he might as well have already been a member."

"Meredy and I were wandering around, trying to find our purpose." Ultear muttered with a sigh, taking a sip of her drink. "We head that Lucy was petitioning to have Jellal released, and…well…since it was my fault he was there in the first place, I wanted to help."

"And she was a major help." Lucy added, grinning warmly. "She knew how the old geezers worked, and what would convince them that it was in their best interest."

Ultear smirked in response. There may have been a few intimidation tactics used…

"So, long story short, Jellal was freed. He was legally in my custody for a few years, but that was only on paper. Of course, one of the requirements was that he stayed in the same building as me, and since my apartment was too small, we had to move." She said thoughtfully. "That's okay, though. I like my new place. I bought it, so I don't have to deal with rent. Jellal moved out a few years ago, too."

"Better you than me!" Ultear laughed. Lucy stuck her tongue out at her.

"But yeah." Lucy continued. "During that time he helped me train to get stronger, too."

"How so?" Levy asked eagerly.

"Well, he taught me a few Heavenly Body spells, like Meteor, and then Thought Projection." Lucy said with a smile. "It makes fighting with Gemini even more interesting."

Natsu groaned, banging his head on the bar. "Oh, man!" he whined. "It was hard enough to tell who the real Lucy was when we were in Edolas, with Scary Lucy!"

Lucy smirked in response.

* * *

"Erza…" Jellal said, happiness and wonder showing in his eyes. They had separated themselves from the group for a private moment after Erza had talked with her old friends for a bit.

They scarlet-haired beauty's eyes watered as she saw his guild mark, the same color that he had named her after. She huffed out a laugh, and hugged him as he held her just as tightly.

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	4. New Guild Members?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this chapter, or Fairy Tail itself, for that matter. At the bottom, all characters not from the Fairy Tail series will be named, and the series I got them from will be stated.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Lucy!" Gray shouted up at his friend, who was walking up the stairs to the second floor. "We are not allowed to go up there, remember?"

He and the rest of the Tenrou group blinked in confusion when they heard laughs from their fellow guild mates, and Lucy giggled.

"Gray, I became S-Class years ago." She informed him with a smirk.

"Congratulations, Lucy." Erza said, beaming happily from where she _mysteriously appeared_ from the back rooms, Jellal standing behind her awkwardly. "I knew you had it in you."

"Thank you, Erza." Lucy said warmly as the others offered up their own congratulations, some sounding more disgruntled than others.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted excitedly. "Fight me!" He put up a fist that was already covered in flames.

"Hm…" many in the Tenrou group were shocked that the girl was actually considering it. "We can wait until the next Exhibition Match." She decided.

"Exhibition Match?" Gajeel asked, interested. Natsu, Gray, and a few others perked up as well.

"Yeah. Right after you guys disappeared, we realized that we'd have financial issues soon if we didn't do something about it." Macao explained as Lucy turned to the S-Class job board.

"So we came up with an idea." Wakaba continued. "We'd volunteer to go up against each other, and charge people 1,500 Jewels (AN: the equivalent of $15, from what I can tell) to come watch. Sometimes people make bets on who will win, so we charge a 10% fee on that, too."

"What does that mean?" Natsu asked, confused.

"It means that if I won 1,500 Jewels in a bet, I would have to give the guild 10% of it, which would be 150 Jewels." Lisanna explained.

"Oh." Natsu said. "So, how often do you guys set up matches?"

"Every couple of months, give or take." Laki said excitedly. "It's gotten quite a bit bigger over the years, too. Sometimes a mage from another guild will come, and the profits are split between the participating guilds."

"Is there only one match?" Laxus asked curiously. Lucy had talked Macao into accepting him back into the guild, and as Makarov wasn't Master anymore, he didn't have the authority to stop it. Laxus wasn't sure what to think of that, but the Raijinshu were ecstatic.

"No, there's usually a few." Kinana answered as she wiped a glass. "One of the spots for the next one is already taken, though."

"By who?" Mirajane asked curiously.

"One of our newest members, Toph, who also happens to be an S-Class mage." Kinana grinned. "She's going up against Jura."

Those who had been part of the Alliance Force eyes' widened in shock.

"Damn, she must be good." Gray muttered.

"Yeah!" Natsu grinned excitedly. "Is she here?! She must put up a hell of a fight!"

"She's on a mission." Romeo piped up, trying to keep his eyes off of Wendy. He'd only been a little kid when he saw her last, and his memories really didn't do her justice. "But I doubt she'd say no if you asked."

Natsu pouted.

"How many people joined the guild since we disappeared?" Erza asked curiously.

The guild members frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, there's Toph," Laki said, counting her fingers. "And Raven, another S-Class mage. She's on a job at the Library of Alexandria translating some ancient texts at the moment. Rin, who went grocery shopping because we're running low. Kirito and Asuna, their adoptive daughter Yui, and Sinon, a close friend of theirs. Ultear, Meredy, and Jellal, obviously. Ultear and Jellal are both S-Class. Kozue, who I think went with Raven on her mission. Ryder and Jack are out flying, and of course Ryder's companion Toothless. Romeo, though he has been for years, now its official, and Asuka will be someday, hopefully."

Asuka cheered as she was mentioned. Alzack and Bisca smiled at their four year old daughter, who was cuddling with Pantherlily, who didn't look nearly as reluctant as one might expect. After all, the little girl was adorable.

"And Erik!" Kinana said beaming. "Though, I think a few of you guys have met him before. You guys would have known him as Cobra."

"Cobra?!" Happy cried.

"Yeah, we managed to arrange for his release, too." Ultear murmured.

"But…why?" Erza asked, confused.

"Well, he was getting desperate trying to find out where Cubellios was." Kinana spoke up, smiling fondly. "And his desperation was so real and intense that the magic council did an investigation, because he was going crazy with worry."

"His purple snake?" Happy asked, tilting his head.

"Yes." Laki said. "Anyway, as it turned out, his snake was a human, and had been transformed into a snake by a dark mage before Erik found her."

"Ah, yes." Makarov muttered, suddenly appearing. "I was the one to realize it and change her back. I was unaware of that detail, of course."

"And now he is happily engaged to our resident Serpent Take Over mage." Laki cheered, happy for her best friend.

Kinana giggled in agreement, showing the others the platinum engagement ring with a rather beautiful amethyst stone and snake-like vines making up the band. "He's visiting Richard (formerly known as Hoteye.)"

"Wait, I missed something." Natsu said.

"Idiot." Gray scoffed. "Kinana was Cubellios."

Kinana nodded in agreement, before she transformed into her most used snake form, a large dark purple one with wings and a white underbelly.

"Woah." Levy summed up the others' thoughts.

"I know, right? Though, I had amnesia for a long time, so I didn't remember my time with the Oracion Seis when I first joined Fairy Tail." Kinana grinned after she transformed back.

Then she turned to Lucy, who had just come back downstairs. "Did you want me to put you down for the next match?"

"Yes please." Lucy replied with a grin. "Should be interesting."

"Oh heck yeah!" Natsu cheered. "I'm all fired up!"

"I'm sure you are." Lucy said with a laugh. "Anyway, let's hope your skills haven't…waned." She finished with a smirk.

Natsu's mouth dropped, mock affronted, though he was used to being teased by his guild mates. "We'll see about that!"

* * *

**Okay. Toph is from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and is also in the Legend of Korra series. Raven is NOT a self-insert, she's from the DC Universe. I'm going with how she was in the Teen Titans cartoon series. Rin Okumura is from Blue Exorcist. Kozue Orihara is from Chaos;Head, Asuna, Kirito, Yui, and Sinon are from Sword Art Online.**

**Yes, Toothless and 'Ryder' are from the How to Train Your Dragon movie franchise (as in, I haven't read the book series and as such am ignoring it), with Ryder being Hiccup's chosen name, and Jack is Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians.**


	5. Making New Friends, Pt 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, these characters, or the series the characters come from.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

After two days, the new Fairy Tail mages had all finished their missions.

"Kozue!" Kinana and Laki squealed when a young girl came inside, running to hug her.

'_Kina, Laki-chan!'_ a sweet voice greeted cheerfully.

Lisanna's eyebrows rose as she glanced at the girl. She had long blonde hair, kept up in pigtails, which were a bit curly. She had pretty light brown eyes, and was rather slender, like Levy (i.e. not much going on in the chest area). She wore a dark blue skirt that reached mid-thigh, with a yellow blazer, black stockings, and black heeled boots. She also carried a large, strange looking blade on her back.

Once she was done taking in the other girl's appearance, she looked back up to her face, only to see the girl looking right back at her, smiling shyly.

'_Hello,'_ the same sweet voice from before said, though Lisanna noticed that her lips weren't moving. _'My name is Kozue, Kozue Orihara. Please take care of me._'

"It's nice to meet you, Kozue." Lisanna replied with a bright smile, shaking the other girl's hand. "My name is Lisanna Strauss."

* * *

When Natsu arrived, he saw an unfamiliar girl sitting at the bar talking to Kinana. She had long black hair held up in a weird bun, but he couldn't see her face. She was wearing a green tank top and brown pants, and didn't wear any shoes. She also had dark green arm bracers on her wrists.

Curious, he got close enough that he could hear their conversation.

"How'd it go, Toph?" Kinana asked with a smile.

"It was too easy!" the girl huffed, irritated. "The jerk was out with one hit, and his minions _surrendered_ when I turned to them! Pathetic wimps."

Kinana giggled, before seeing Natsu and waving him over.

"Hey Natsu." She greeted, smiling warmly. "This is Toph."

"Nice to meet you." He said automatically, before freezing when he caught sight of her milky green eyes. "Wait…are you—"

"Yes, I'm blind." She answered shortly, with an air of having been asked this many times before.

"But…you're S-Class." Natsu was confused. "That's hard enough as it is…how did you…?"

"My magic." She said with a resigned sigh. "I'm use Earth. I developed a technique where I could _feel_ the vibrations in the ground, allowing me to 'see', in a sense. It's kind of like echolocation."

"Woah." Natsu's eyes widened in awe this time. "That's awesome!"

"Of course." Toph muttered with a smirk. "Awesome is my middle name."

"Earth?" Natsu mused. "I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer. How did you learn to use your magic?"

"Well, you guys learned yours from the dragons, right?" Toph asked, repeated what she'd been told by Lucy and the others. Natsu hummed in agreement. "Well, I personally learned mine from badger moles. They were the first to use Earth Magic, and are still some of the most powerful elemental creatures today."

"Badger moles?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Yeah. They're…well, they get around kind of like Blondie's spirit does. The one with the pink hair." Toph answered.

"Aries?" Natsu guessed.

"No, I think that's the ram." Toph pointed out thoughtfully, before snapping her fingers. "Virgo! The weird masochist (or maybe sadist) always asking for punishment."

"Oh, yeah." Natsu laughed, remembering how annoyed Lucy would get. "So, you mean the badger moles travel underground?"

"Yeah. Sorry, got off on a tangent, there." Toph said, shaking her head. "Anyway, they're blind, like me. I used what they taught me to develop my 'sight', which I call Seismic Sense."

"How did you find them?" Natsu asked, entranced. "I was found as a baby by Igneel, and I think that's how Wendy and Gajeel ended up with their dragons…"

"Oh, I'd run away from my parents." Toph said, waving a hand dismissively. "They were overprotective. _Extremely_ overprotective. They seemed to think that I couldn't even be in a room alone just because I can't see like everyone else. So, I ran away one day when I was young. I spent a few weeks with the badger moles, and then went back to my parents, and trained myself in secret."

"Only a few weeks?!" Natsu cried out. He'd spent _years_ with Igneel learning his magic, but this girl had become S-Class so quickly and with much less actual instruction.

"Yeah." Toph agreed, hiccupping after taking a sip of her beer. "I would sneak off to an underground magic tournament and fight for the title of the strongest magic user, which I always ended up winning. I went by the Blind Bandit."

"But wouldn't your parents have not let you do that?"

"They didn't know. I would sneak out." Toph said with a shrug. "Eventually someone snitched on me, though. My parents became more constrictive, and I got sick of it, so I left for good. I stumbled across Blondie shortly after, and here I am."

"Wait, if you're blind, what does it matter to you if Lucy's blonde?" Natsu asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"It doesn't." Toph scoffed. "I overheard someone call her that before, and it pissed her off, so I started doing it, too. It backfired though; she got used to it."

* * *

A couple of tables away, an entirely different conversation was taking place. Lucy had introduced Levy to Raven, the girl who had been translating ancient texts in Alexandria, and the two had hit it off rather well.

Raven was rather quiet and withdrawn, Levy noticed, but when she could be bothered to say something, it was intelligent and witty, and she was familiar with many different languages, including Sanskrit, Ancient Sumerian, and Romanian, some of which had been utilized on her latest mission.

She was beautiful, too. She had shoulder-length purple hair and matching eyes, with gray skin and a red bindi on her forehead, which she used to help focus her powers. She wore a black leotard and a royal blue cloak, usually with the hood up, though it wasn't at the moment. She wore blue boots, and had a few gold accessories, such as the gold clasp with a red stone on her cloak, and a similar belt. She wore no jewelry.

The strangest thing about her was that she wasn't sitting on a chair. No, she had moved it away, and was instead _floating_ above the ground! When Levy had asked how she was doing that without a magic circle, Raven had blinked, before reluctantly explaining that she was half-demon, and that her own magic was quite a bit different than theirs.

Raven had expected Levy to shy away from her at that information, but to her surprise, Levy's face had brightened up at the prospect of learning something new, and she had been asking her questions ever since.

Raven pulled up the hood of her cloak at some point, using the shadows it gave off to cover her smile. It would appear that she had made a new friend.

They trio (Lucy included) spent hours talking about the books they had read, while Levy asked Lucy if she had continued writing.

When Lucy had admitted that she was now a published author, but that she hadn't yet had her very first novel published because she had promised that Levy would be the first to read it, the blunette had tears in her eyes, and tackled her friend in a hug, Raven looking on in amusement.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rin walked into the guild, and walked straight towards Natsu and Gray, who he had met that first day and hit it off with immediately. Like them, he was always itching for a fight, and they had similar personalities.

"Hey guys." He greeted.

"'Sup, Rin?" Gray asked, smirking slightly.

"Eh, not much." Rin answered. "Kuro hasn't been feeling well lately, so I haven't gotten much sleep."

"Is he okay?" Natsu asked, concerned. Rin's familiar, a Cat Sidhe, sort of reminded him of Happy.

Of course, unlike the blue exceed, Kuro couldn't fly, though he did get way bigger, kind of like Pantherlily, and the only people that could understand him were Rin, Raven, Kozue, Warren, and Lucy. Rin and Raven because they were both half-demons, and Kuro was technically a demon as well, Lucy because she was sensitive to familiar contracts, and Kozue and Warren because they were both Telepaths.

"Yeah, he just drank too much catnip wine." Rin reassured, sounding amused, fond, and exasperated all at once.

Natsu laughed, remembering how Happy was when he'd eaten too much fish. Actually, now that he thought about it…that had happened yesterday.

* * *

"Yui-chan is adopted?" Juvia wondered aloud, staring at the quartet of mages sitting at another table.

Yui was sitting on her adoptive father's lap. Both had black hair and blackish-gray eyes, with pale skin. Asuna, Kirito's girlfriend, had beautiful long chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore a red and white uniform with a few bits of armor, and carried a rapier on her side.

Sinon had short black hair, though the hair framing her face was longer, and was held by white ribbons. She had rather pretty black eyes, which changed to indigo when she was using her magic, as her sight got better when she did. She wore bullet-proof (or _resistant_, she insisted) armor, a light brown military jacket, and combat boots. She also had two black wrist cuffs, which would transform into her longbow or her sniper, depending on which one she needed. She also had a few daggers hidden on her person.

Lucy hummed in confirmation. "Yeah, her and Kirito look a lot alike, don't they? He and Asuna were on vacation and talking a walk through the forest, and saw her unconscious. At first they tried to find out if she had any family looking for her, but when she woke up, she had amnesia, and thought that they were her parents. She eventually got her memories back, though. She had run away from her father because he was forcing her to use her magic for bad things, like trapping people and manipulating them for his own amusement."

Juvia's eyes widened in horror, before her eyes took on a determined glint. "Well, if he ever tries to do so again, Juvia will protect her." She could relate to being used for her powers. After all, that was how Jose had treated her, but he hadn't been her father.

"We all will." Lucy whispered back, the same determination in her own eyes. "He'll never come near her again."

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**Please review!~**

**BTW, all you guys have to do to see an actual picture of these characters (if you don't know them already) is look them up.**

***On Kozue's intro to Lisanna: I'm not Japanese and am certainly not an expert on the culture, but from what I can tell this is a common phrase to say in this kind of situation. If not, feel free to tell me so that I can fix it.)'**

**Also about Kozue, in case anyone is wondering, she's mute. It's a psychosomatic thing, meaning that she is physically capable of speaking, but something is causing a mental block so she can't make herself do so. More will be explained about why she has that problem later, but at least she has telepathy (even in the anime she's actually from, Chaos;Head), so she can still communicate with everyone else.**

***I feel bad that I made Yui have a bad childhood until she met Kirito and Asuna, but for those of you who have seen SAO, you'll probably get why I did that. As for the kind of magic her and the others from SAO have, that'll come up at some point.**


	6. Making New Friends, Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, any other characters, or the any of the series they're from.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"C'mon, Hiccup!" a voice whined. Gajeel turned towards the guild hall door, not recognizing the voice, to see two men walk in, and a small black…dragon (?!) trailing behind them. He glanced around, noting that no one else was freaking out, so he decided not to say anything.

The one who had spoken was a guy around Gray's age, and Gajeel was reminded strongly of the Ice Make mage because the new person brought with him an aura of cold. He had silvery white hair, ice blue eyes, and pale skin. He wore a blue hoodie with frost decorating it (and not thread made to look like frost, but _actual _frost), brown pants, a weird Shepard's crook, and he wore no shoes, like that Toph girl.

"Stop calling me that, Jack." The first figure sighed. The man was about six feet tall, with a lithe figure and lightly tanned skin. He had messy brown hair with a few braids thrown in here and there, a slightly large nose, and green eyes. He also had a few freckles, and a small scar on his chin. Gajeel couldn't see where his guild mark was on his skin (or the white-haired one, for that matter), but the symbol was in red on the shoulder plate of the strange armor he was wearing, which was covered in various buckles and straps.

However, what really caught Gajeel's attention was the fact that instead of two legs, the man had a metal stump for a left foot. He looked closer at the stump, eyebrows furrowing as he noticed that it was actually very well-made. That was some fine craftsmanship.

Lastly, he analyzed the draconic creature. It was pretty small, especially compared to Metallicana, but it looked really fast, and was probably very stealthy when flying at night, if its color said anything. It had green eyes, a similar color to 'Hiccup's', and was moving like a feline as it followed the two boys.

"Sorry, Ryder." Jack said with a grimace, knowing that his friend didn't like being reminded of his time living in his old village. They…hadn't taken the fact that he had created a Soul Bond (AN: not anything romantic, you guys, just as siblings!) with a dragon very well, and had nearly killed him.

Luckily, Ryder had managed to escape with Toothless, though the pair flew right into the territory of a leviathan dragon, and while they managed to kill the beast, Ryder had lost his leg doing so.

The only reason the two of them had survived was because Jack had found them, taking care of Ryder's injuries and making sure that the grounded dragon had enough to eat.

Once Ryder's wound had healed well enough, Jack and Toothless brought him to a nearby village to be seen by a professional healer, though she wasn't able to really do anything. The local blacksmith had forged a wooden leg for Ryder, which the boy was thankful for, but he quickly made his own metal one, which would be able to operate Toothless' own fake tailfin.

A few weeks later, the two made their way to Fairy Tail.

"Eh, it's okay." Ryder muttered, slightly distracted as he noticed the unfamiliar people in the guild. "It looks like the group from Tenrou is back…"

"How can you tell?" Jack asked curiously, glancing around.

"They seem comfortable." Ryder answered simply. "And all of them have guild marks."

"Huh." Jack blinked. "Cool."

At that moment, the guy jumped, perching on his staff, toes gripping the wood.

"What—" Gajeel muttered.

"He can fly when he has that staff." Levy's voice suddenly sounded from beside him, and he had to force himself not to jump. Was he so occupied that he hadn't heard her coming? "I asked Kinana about the types of magic all of the 'new' guild members have. Well, or I asked them myself."

"He reminds me of Ice Block." Gajeel muttered, slightly confused.

"Well, yeah, he would." Levy agreed. "The Shepard's crook is kind of like a holder magic, allowing him to fly, but he also has something called Winter magic. It's like snow, ice, and wind _combined._ And he can make himself invisible if he wants."

"Gihihi." Gajeel smirked. "I wonder how he'd far against the Stripper."

"Maybe they'll go up against each other in an Exhibition Match at some point!" Levy pointed out cheerfully.

"Maybe." Gajeel muttered. "And the guy in leather? And the…dragon?" His fist clenched unconsciously.

"A different kind of dragon than the ones you, Wendy, and Natsu were raised by, I'm afraid." Levy said sadly. "His name is Toothless, a Night Fury."

"He has teeth." Gajeel pointed out, staring at the dragon's mouth.

"They're retractable." Levy explained. "I asked. Apparently Ryder, the other guy, thought the name was ironic. I actually didn't get an answer about his magic; I'm not sure he's a mage. But he's a good fighter; he fights on Toothless' back. And he's an inventor—he's the one that forged that leg, the gear on his dragon's tail, the saddle, a light but very durable shield that doubles as a crossbow, a flame sword with a retractable blade, and made his armor."

"Damn." Gajeel muttered, impressed. The leg, as he'd already noted, was exceptionally well-made, but the rest? He would have been annoyed at the impressed look on Levy's face if he wasn't the same.

"I am a mage, actually." A slightly nasally voice spoke up from behind them, and Levy and Gajeel both spun around in surprise. There was Ryder, rubbing the back of his neck with a slightly red face, with Jack right behind him, smiling a bit. "Nothing as fancy as most of the others in this guild, though."

"Gomen!" Levy apologized, blushing slightly. Not because she was attracted to him, though he _was _very attractive (she likes Gajeel after all), but because they'd just been caught talking about him.

"Gihihi." Gajeel chuckled darkly. "If you can make stuff like that, you don't really need a really flashy kind of magic."

"True." Ryder muttered, almost to himself, before he grinned awkwardly and stuck out a hand, shaking both Levy and Gajeel's. Gajeel was surprised at the man's firm shake, since he was rather thin, but what kind of fighter could he be if he didn't have any muscle on him?

Jack laughed at the interaction, before introducing himself as well, and sat down with Ryder, Toothless lying on the ground behind them. The four mages talked for hours about magic, past experiences, and Gajeel asked Ryder's opinion about where the other dragons might be. Ryder didn't know, but was eager to help if he could.

Levy had to bite her lip throughout the conversation when she noticed that Jack and Ryder had been exchanging some slightly heated looks, though, being male, neither of them seemed to realize it. That could turn out to be interesting...

It was hours later, once she was back at her house in Fairy Hills, that she realized that Ryder hadn't said what his magic was.

She didn't think that he'd done it on purpose, just that he'd been distracted before he got the chance to answer, so what was it?

* * *

**Please review!**

**Yes, Ryder is Hiccup. Yes, this is a Hijack pairing. I did warn that there would be some yaoi in this, so if you don't like it, either stop reading or deal with it.**

**Anyway, as for Ryder's magic...I'm thinking some archaic form of Technopathy. After all, he's a rather talented inventor in How to Train Your Dragon, but I can't really see him taking too much interest in the more modern stuff, though that doesn't mean he can't fiddle around with that, too.**

**That being said, I'm open to ideas. However, I'm NOT going to make him a dragon slayer. That goes against pretty much everything he stands for, and he would only go that far if there was no other option (*spoiler alert, perhaps?*)**


	7. Grand Magic Games Participants

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail, the other characters, etc.**

**Oh, to the guest who commented that this story 'blows' because there are too many OC's...really? Apparently I didn't make it clear enough that this is a CROSSOVER, meaning there are characters who AREN'T FROM FAIRY TAIL. If you don't want to have to keep track of those characters (a few of whom are from fairly popular series, and who doesn't know Avatar: The Last Airbender?) then just don't read it. And trust me, I could have added WAY more crossover characters than I did, and chose not to _because_ I didn't want it to get too confusing.**

**Honest question, now that I'm thinking about it (directed towards anyone): a****re crossover characters even considered OC's?**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy walked into her house, glancing around at her surroundings as she realized just how much had changed since the S-Class trials had gone sour seven years ago.

There were quite a few new members in the guild, and there were five S-Class mages, none of whom had been S-Class (or in some cases in the guild) before that. At least no one seemed to be clashing yet, but that could change at any moment.

There were also so many more guild events that had been put into place, mostly because they had been in danger of going bankrupt. The exhibition matches, for example.

And geez, what had she been thinking, agreeing to have a match with Natsu?

Of course, seven years ago, she would have been terrified at the prospect, but now she was merely strategizing on the most efficient way to win the match without hurting him.

That alone showcased just how much had changed.

She wanted to prove that she was just as capable as the others in the guild, a secret vulnerability that she had kept quiet, though it had gotten much better over the years. After all, she had won the S-Class trials fair and square.

Of course, that didn't mean that she wanted to just have a spar. With everything going on, that would only make it more likely that a brawl would be started, and she didn't want anything to be destroyed in part because of her actions. That was why she'd suggested fighting him in an official match. There would be actual rules that he would have to follow, and they would be making money for the guild with ticket sales.

She was ecstatic that her friends were back, and she certainly didn't want them to disappear again, but at the same time it really brought into perspective these changes.

For one thing, she had completely gotten over her (however small) attraction to Natsu.

This was probably a good thing, she mused, since Lisanna had also had feelings for the Fire Dragon Slayer at some point, though she didn't know if she still did. If so, she wasn't sure who Natsu would have chosen, if he even chose either of them, so it was good to avoid that train wreck before it even became a problem.

Another thing was that she was now twenty-four years old. Besides Gildarts and Makarov, out of the group who had gone to Tenrou, she was now the oldest, even beating Laxus by a year. She had been able to experience things that the others hadn't really gotten the chance to: fall in love (though that had not really gone anywhere), buy a house with money that she had earned herself, make dozens of friends throughout Fiore (mostly from other magic guilds), become an S-Class mage, participate in the Grand Magic Games for the past six years…

'Speaking of, Macao should be announcing the team for this year's games pretty soon.' She realized.

* * *

(AN: Yeah, I'm going to skip the Starry Heaven's Arc, or whatever it's called. I just don't really care for it, and I want to get to the interesting stuff. Sorry.)

* * *

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make!" Macao called, silencing the guild hall as they all looked at him curiously.

"What's up, old man?" Wakaba teased his friend.

"I told you to call me Master." Macao said with a sigh, before shaking his head. "Whatever. I've decided the teams for this year's games!"

"Teams?" Laki asked, shocked. "As in plural?"

"Are you talking about the Exhibition Match?" Levy asked, confused. "I thought those were individual fights, not a team thing."

"Oh, right, I guess we've forgotten to mention it." Macao realized. "Kinana, will you do the honors?"

"Of course, Master!" Kinana chirped, taking Erik's hand in hers as she turned towards the Tenrou group. "The year you guys disappeared, the king decided to hold an annual competition between all of the legal magic guilds in Fiore! We're going to be competing for the title 'Strongest Guild in Fiore'. The prize for the winning guild is 30,000,000 Jewels (AN: which I equate to about 300,000 USD)!"

There were several whistled at that high number. For most of them (i.e. anyone not S-Class with their higher-paying missions) that would take a very long time to earn.

"How have we done in the past?" Laxus asked gruffly. He might not have been obsessed with power like he used to be, but he still had his pride as a newly-reinstated Fairy Tail member.

"We've won every year." Laki smirked. "There is another guild, Sabertooth, that always comes in second place and has really powerful members, but they haven't managed to beat us yet. But, before I get any more distracted…" she turned back to Macao. "What did you mean 'teams'?"

"Well, this year we have our old friends back, and I wanted to give them a chance to compete." Macao explained. "At the same time, we have our veterans who have won the games every year. I looked through the rulebook for the games, and it never said that a guild can only have one team, so we're going to take advantage of that."

"Awesome." Rin said with a grin, blue fire emanating from his body.

"Okumura, you're on fire." Cana called out, who loved having someone to do this to, like she did when Gray was stripping.

The dark-haired blunette cursed, immediately patting out the flames before they burned through his clothing.

"So who'd ya pick?" Toph called out.

"Well, for Team A, the veterans: you, Toph, along with Lucy, Raven, Ultear, and Jellal, with Meredy as reserve. Team B is Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, Gajeel, and Juvia, with Natsu as reserve."

The guild cheered for their chosen champions, who all nodded graciously.

Except for one. There's always one.

"Why am I reserve?" Natsu asked with a pout.

"Because I chose people who are S-Class." Macao said with a sigh. "Or who were S-Class." Juvia smiled at Gajeel, who smirked back.

Natsu scowled, annoyed, but didn't protest.

"Anyway." Macao continued. "The Grand Magic Games are in three months, so you'll have time to train. And don't forget a few of you need to prepare for the matches next week."

"I can't wait!" Toph crowed excitedly, punching the air. "Jura always puts up a good fight!"

"Speaking of the matches, who ended up taking the third spot?" Jellal asked curiously.

Macao and Kinana glanced at each other, smirking, and scaring the others a bit. Even Erik, who was still holding Kinana's hand.

"Erza and Mirajane." Kinana answered sweetly.

* * *

**Please review!**

**I have a lot planned for the Grand Magic Games...*cackles deviously* There are going to be a lot of events that aren't canon, some of them guild-wide so everyone can participate.**


	8. Bonus Scenes

**Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail, any characters, or the series they come them.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

*Omake #1*

"Happy!" Lucy shouted angrily, eyes narrowing at the flying blue cat that had dared to invade her personal space. "Stop coming in without my permission!"

"Lushee!" Happy cheered, flying into her chest and making himself comfortable.

"Stupid cat." Lucy muttered, though she began stroking his fur. She had missed him, after all. "What are you even doing here? And where are the others?"

"We wanted to go on a mission with you." The exceed answered, looking a bit sad. "But we didn't know where you live now. Natsu and the others went to Mirajane to ask her for directions and a spare key."

"She hasn't been here or had the opportunity to make one yet." Lucy said, slightly irritated. She didn't appreciate how Mirajane just gave the key to Lucy's home to anyone who asked, so she hadn't given the barmaid a spare 'in case of emergency' like she had when she joined Fairy Tail. "Anyway, how did you find me, then?"

"I asked someone else." Happy stated, sounding as if that should be obvious. "The pretty girl didn't have a key, but your window was open."

"Pretty girl?" Lucy mused thoughtfully. "Hm…it can't be someone who was in Fairy Tail before Tenrou, since you know their names…so that leaves Meredy, Ultear, Raven, Toph, Kozue, Asuna, Sinon, Yui, or Asuka."

"I don't know!" Happy whined. "Too many names to remember!"

"Well what did she look like?" Lucy asked, rolling her eyes.

"Pretty." Happy said, pouting. At Lucy's annoyed glare, he continued. "Um…human?"

"That doesn't really narrow it down, Happy!" Lucy laughed.

"Fine. Short. Dark hair and eyes?" he said it like a question.

"That's either Yui or Asuka." The blonde was starting to get tired of this. Couldn't the cat be a little more descriptive? Not that she cared all that much who had told him where to find her, she just liked getting him back for teasing her all that time.

"I don't know!" Happy cried, pulling at his ears. "You humans all look the same!"

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him, but dropped the subject. It was probably Asuka (Bisca and Alzack's daughter) anyway, the clever little sneak.

Three hours later, the rest of team Natsu (even if Lucy wasn't sure that she was a member anymore) walked in to find Happy flying around, cackling, as Lucy tried swatting him with a broom, yelling at him for going into her clothes. Again.

Natsu grinned, reassured. Some things never changed.

* * *

*Omake #2*

"Lucy, what wrong?!" Erza asked, staring at her friend intensely.

Lucy startled, leaning back as Erza got in her face.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused.

"You're not wearing the outfit you were wearing yesterday!" Erza explained. "You usually only change your clothing when you've gotten in a fight and your clothes were destroyed, or something!"

Lucy face-palmed. Today she was wearing dark blue boot-cut jeans with a silver tank top, her regular heeled boots, and a black coat with a high collar, as opposed to the white outfit she'd been wearing the previous day when the Tenrou group came back.

"Okay, for one thing, of course I changed my clothing!" The blonde answered. "I had more than one pair of that outfit! Geez, I didn't _always_ wear the same thing…"

"Yes you did." Happy said bluntly, munching on a fish. "You were boring!"

He cried out in fear as Lucy turned to glare at him, flying towards an unsympathetic Carla.

* * *

*Omake #3*

Kozue, Warren, and Erik glared at each other when Jason from Sorcerer's Weekly asked the dreaded question: which one of them had the strongest telepathic powers?

Erza glared at them, silently demanding that they behave themselves.

Eventually, they decided not to bother arguing about it, and instead competed on who could pick the juiciest secrets from the reporter's brain. Who knew the guy dressed in drag during his free time?

Jason was annoying anyway. What did they care what he thought of them?

* * *

*Omake #4*

Jet and Droy glared morosely at the other side of the guild, where Levy was reading. AT GAJEEL'S TABLE!

How could she forgive that monster so easily?! The jerk had destroyed their guild hall, beaten their team to a pulp, and then had done the same to Lucy-chan, Levy's best friend!

Their hearts clenched as Levy smiled happily at the Iron Dragon Slayer, and they stood up, intending to go get their Levy back.

"Hold it." A voice said firmly, and they froze. After a moment, they turned, to see Lucy herself staring at them with a frown on her face.

"Eh, Lucy-sama." Droy greeted, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "How may we help you?"

Being polite usually got them out of trouble.

"You can start by leaving Levy and Gajeel alone." She answered with a glare, causing the other two-thirds of Team Shadow Gear to protest.

"We can't just leave her alone with him!" Jet hissed angrily. "How do we know he won't hurt her again?"

"Don't even start that!" Lucy snapped. "You two are well aware that he's not going to attack anyone here, you just don't want Levy to be with him!"

"She's with him?!" Droy cried, not even bothering to deny it.

"We've lost already?" Jet asked, equally as heartbroken.

Lucy sighed. "Guys, she rejected your advances long before Gajeel came into the picture. What makes you think that that would suddenly change even if she didn't like him romantically?"

They winced, but didn't say anything.

"Just look at her." She prodded.

The three looked at the pretty blunette, who was still smiling, though this time more softly as Gajeel argued with Lily. She burst into giggles at something Lily said, and Gajeel scowled at her, almost looking like he was pouting.

"She's happy. If Gajeel can put that smile on her face, then who the hell are you to break them apart?" Lucy asked, before standing up, leaving the two to their own devices.

* * *

**Please Review!**

**So…pairing-wise…I had initially been leaning towards Lucy being with Laxus, but now I'm not sure. That's what I get for looking at fan art. Now NaLu is a contender, even though I don't really consider myself a fan of NaLu or NaLi because Natsu is so oblivious (or at least acts like he is). I'd have to make Lucy fall for Natsu all over again, since she thinks that she's over him, but that wouldn't be too terribly difficult. **

**So I thought I'd put it up to a vote.**

**Should Lucy be with Laxus or Natsu?**

**NOTE: I'd rather not get a whole bunch of reviews with just one name or the other, or someone who I didn't even put as an option. I'd appreciate an actual review for the story to go along with the vote.**


	9. Save It for the Games

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Sword Art Online, Blue Exorcist, Chaos;Head, How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, etcetera (am I missing any?).**

**Oh, in case you guys were wondering, I have no idea where I got the idea for the title. It's supposed to be Lucy's 'nickname', like Titania, Black Steel Gajeel, Salamander, Sky Sorceress for Wendy, etcetera. I didn't want to use something cliché like Celestial Princess/Queen/Sorceress, and I randomly thought about the Aurora Borealis, and then the High Heavens part came in place of Celestial.**

**As for the poll, Laxus is currently winning with 7, as Natsu trails far behind with 1 vote! **

**I'm not complaining, that was the pairing I was initially planning anyway. Nonetheless, the poll is still open, so if you give a crap who I pair Lucy with (I usually don't, I've read stories where she's with Natsu, Gray, Gajeel even though GaLe is my Fairy Tail OTP, Laxus, Bickslow, Freed, Sting, Rogue, Hibiki, Leo…yeah, I don't usually care who she's paired with as long as it makes sense in the story.)**

* * *

"You learned Requip magic?!" Erza squealed uncharacteristically. "Why? How big is your equip space? What kinds of things do you have stored in their? How fast c—"

"Erza!" Lucy gasped, mind trying to keep up with the questions as the redhead spat them out as quickly as she could. "Slow down!"

Erza ducked her head down sheepishly, feeling bad. "I'm sorry Lucy. HIT ME!" she cried.

Lucy sweat-dropped.

"It's okay, Erza." Lucy reassured, patting her friend on the shoulder awkwardly. "I learned it because…well, there have been a few occasions where I lost my keys, or they were taken from me, and I have really bad luck with my shirts falling apart on me, or ending up naked for some reason…"

"That does seem to happen a lot." Erza mused.

It was an unofficial stereotype for female mages that their clothes would frequently end up getting ruined.

"Right." Lucy said, resigned.

* * *

A few hours later, once Lucy had gone home for the day, Jellal came up to Erza and took the seat where the blonde had been.

"Jellal." Erza greeted with a small smile.

"Scarlet." Jellal teased, brushing a few scarlet red strands of hair out of the other mages eyes, relishing in her rather pretty blush.

Moments later, after taking a bite of her strawberry cake and calming her blush down, Erza spoke up. "I asked Lucy earlier why she learned Requip magic."

"Oh?" Jellal asked curiously.

"I don't think she told me the full truth." Erza said, watching closely as Jellal grimaced. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Jellal sighed, running a hand through his messy blue hair. "Yeah."

"Is it some major secret?" Erza wondered. If it was, it wouldn't be too surprising that Jellal would know. After all, he'd lived in the same house as Lucy for a while on the council's orders.

If she didn't trust her nakama so much, she might have been worried that there was something going on between her childhood sweetheart and best friend. As it was, she knew that Lucy was well aware of her _affection_ for Jellal and would never do that to her.

"No, not really." Jellal answered, ordering some beer from Kinana. "The reasons she gave you are most likely true, though."

"Worried about her keys and wanting spare clothes at the ready." Erza recounted.

"Right." Jellal agreed. "But, as you've already figured out, there was more to it than that. You know how Lucy is part of the veteran team for the Grand Magic Games, right?"

"Of course." Erza responded, nodding her head.

"Well, a few years ago, she went up against this one girl, Minerva Orlando, from Sabertooth."

"That's our main competition." Erza remembered from Laki's explanation.

"Yeah. Anyway, there was a group battle. One of those 'stay within a certain area, if you're knocked out, you lose' type events. At the end, it was Lucy against Minerva."

Erza's stomach felt like it had a lead block dropped in it, realizing where this was going. "This 'Minerva' stole Lucy's keys, didn't she?"

Jellal nodded, fists clenching as he recalled the fight. "Minerva could have just knocked Lucy out of the boundary, but she chose to keep it going until the time ran out, and beat her within an inch of her life. The referee and people all around the stadium were screaming for her to stop, even a couple of people from the Sabertooth team, but she ignored them. Lucy was covered from head to toe in bruises, a few of her bones were broken, too…in the infirmary, later on, she _apologized_ to us for losing, even though she got second place."

By this point, Erza had tears running down her face, and her entire body was tense. Her breaths came out harshly as she tried to calm herself down.

After all, if she didn't, she would probably hunt down that sadistic bitch and kill her for hurting the girl she saw as a sister.

Neither mage noticed the four Fairy Tail dragon slayers in a similar state. Wendy was crying into Carla's fur, Laxus had broken the table he was sitting at from gripping it too hard, and Natsu was being held back by Gajeel, who looked furious, but was smart enough to know that going to the Sabertooth guild and challenging the bitch wouldn't do any good.

"Salamander!" Gajeel hissed, irritated as Natsu tried to get away.

"WHAT?!" Natsu snarled, turning to look at him.

"Save it for the games." the Iron Dragon Slayer snapped. "Humiliate her in front of an audience, just like she did to Bunny Girl!"

Wendy heard the comment, and uncharacteristically nodded her head in agreement, determined. From the second floor, Laxus decided that the former Phantom Lord mage wasn't quite as stupid as he had previously thought.

Though, he did wonder about that nickname…

* * *

**Here you have it!**

**Remember, if you haven't voted for either Laxus or Natsu to be with Lucy and want to, write a review (not just the name) telling me. Those who have already voted cannot vote twice, though a regular review is appreciated all the same. :)  
**


	10. Heart to Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Happy Valentine's Day, or Single's Awareness Day, everyone!**

**Well, since LaLu is still leading in the poll, here's a semi-romantic (well, bonding at least) chapter between the two.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy watched in awe from the window in the guild's library as the thunder and lightning raged across the sky, reveling in the cold air emanating from the glass. She gasped as the lightning lit up the sky yet again.

She glanced down for a moment, smiling gently as she saw a certain blue-haired Sky Dragon Slayer dancing happily in the rain outside of the guild doors, not bothered in the slightest by the freezing cold rain and roaring winds.

If it was anyone else, Lucy would be worried for their safety, but there wasn't anything capable of besting Wendy in such an environment.

'Well, maybe Chelia.' She reluctantly reconsidered, remembering the pink-haired Sky God Slayer who she'd seen in the Games the year before.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice spoke up behind her. Lucy gasped quietly, spinning around towards the source, a key instantly appearing in her hand via Requip.

"Damn it, Laxus." She said with a relieved sigh once she recognized the much larger male, sending the key (Leo) back to her pocket dimension. "You need to start making noise when you walk into a room."

"Where's the fun in that, Blondie?" Laxus replied with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah, giving people heart attacks is always amusing." Lucy said cheerfully, intentionally ignoring the part of her that muttered that he was blonde too.

Laxus sweat dropped, not sure if she was joking. She might be more calm than most of his guild mates, but she was still a Fairy Tail mage.

He examined the Celestial Spirit mage, who went back to staring out the window, not seeming to notice his curious stare.

She was wearing black pants, a light blue cashmere sweater (gray tank top straps showing under that), and a white quilted jacket with a pair of gloves sitting beside her on the table.

His eyebrow rose when he noticed that her regular black boots were on the floor a few yards away, and she wore nothing but light blue socks on her feet.

"Why are you barefoot?" he wondered aloud, causing Lucy to glance back at him.

"Oh, right." She said, almost sounding surprised, like she hadn't even realized it. "It's more comfortable not wearing shoes, especially if I want to curl up on one of the armchairs in here."

"You're sitting at a table." He pointed out.

"I was sitting over there until I realized the storm had arrived." Lucy explained, shaking her head as she tilted her head towards the squishy-looking chair next to her boots. Her book bag was also there, so Laxus took her word for it.

"If you were so comfortable, why move?" Laxus asked, unsure why he was interested in the first place.

"I like storms." She said simply. "They're soothing."

A branch hit the window forcefully, belaying her words.

"Well, not always." She admitted ruefully with a giggle. "I don't know. I just like it when the weather is like this. I used to bribe Juvia to make it a rainy day when I wanted an excuse not to go on a mission, and she usually agreed because that meant that Gray didn't leave with us."

Laxus snorted in amusement. There was a reason that Blondie was considered the brains of that team.

They sat there (or stood in Laxus' case, having shook his head at Lucy's invitation for him to sit down) in a companionable silence for a while before Laxus spoke up.

"Thanks." He murmured quietly, causing Lucy to glance back at him.

"For…?" she asked curiously.

"Getting me back into the guild." He answered after a long moment. "If gramps was still the master, it wouldn't have been so easy, but Macao…he doesn't have that lingering disappointment that gramps does."

"Everyone makes mistakes." Lucy said thoughtfully. "From what I gathered, you had your reasons, and Mas-uh, Makarov didn't bother explaining about why your father was kicked out of the guild, brushing off the issue and just telling you that he deserved it. Maybe if he had explained…"

"Maybe." Laxus shrugged, grimacing at the mention of his father. He had done a lot of introspection during his time of banishment from the guild, and had realized just how much his father had influenced his actions and opinions over the years, even in his absence. "A lot of it was resentment and bitterness towards the jerk himself."

"And you didn't realize that until later on." Lucy nodded knowingly. "I used to have abandonment issues after my mom died. Logically I knew that she wouldn't have left me if she had had any other choice, but my dad had basically abandoned me emotionally, and I only saw him once every few weeks. I realized later on that it was my father who those emotions were really directed towards. My father was still alive; he should have been there. It felt like both of my parents had died at once."

"My mother died in childbirth." Laxus told her, feeling obligated to do so after she had shared such personal things with him. "He always blamed me for it."

"Dads are the worst." Lucy said with a sad chuckle, eyes watery. "I'm a carbon copy of my mom; that's why he was never able to look at me once she was gone. It didn't help that I'm a Celestial Spirit mage like she was and that I inherited a few of her contracted spirits."

Laxus didn't say anything, since he knew that the whole Phantom Lord thing was caused by Blondie's father. What kind of man would kidnap his own daughter?

'What kind of man would shove a lacrima in his son's head in an attempt to make him stronger?' Laxus wondered sardonically.

"At least I had the opportunity to reconcile with him." Lucy whispered, still staring out the window. "He passed away about a month before you guys returned."

"Oh. Uh, sorry." Laxus muttered, awkwardly patting Blondie's shoulder. He'd never been good when he was faced with emotions, much less of the 'sad girl' variety.

Lucy giggled, patting his hand in thanks before turning back towards him. "It's okay. Our relationship was still awkward as hell, in the end, but at least I didn't hate him anymore, and he wasn't treating me as his property. He even helped us get it together financially."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before the Konzern went bankrupt, he built it from the ground up and made it one of the most successful businesses in Fiore." Lucy explained. "Actually…the reason it went under is because I refused to marry the son of one of his business partners."

"Tch, don't blame yourself for that." Laxus snapped, rolling his eyes. "If he was so great at business, he wouldn't have let it get to that point. Besides, you were under no obligation to marry someone for him anyway."

"I suppose that's true." She agreed with a smile. "Even if I hadn't run away and joined Fairy Tail, there's no way I would have agreed to it. I'm not going to marry for anything but love."

"Now I just have to find it." She muttered under her breath, unaware that the dragon slayer could hear her.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Yeah, it wasn't much, but at least it wasn't a NaLu scene! ;)**


	11. Lucy's Novel

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Or any of the other main characters used in this, but they aren't even in this chapter.**

**Poll Results so far…**

**Laxus-18**

**Natsu-2**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Miss Heartfilia, PLEASE!" Lucy's publisher begged, tears pouring down her face as she got down on her knees.

"No, Anne!" Lucy said, exasperated. "Levy gets to read it first!"

"But, but they're back now!" Anne sputtered, now gripping her client's leg and refusing to let go. "It's been two hours, surely that's enough time if she has Gale-Force reading glasses!"

"She's been missing for seven years, why would she immediately start reading my novel?" Lucy asked with a groan, trying to shake the other woman off. "She's trying to get acclimated to all of the changes, give her some time!"

With that, she managed to get free, and walked into her house, locking the door as Anne tried following her inside.

Lucy collapsed on her couch, groaning. When Anne had found out that her first book published was not the first she had ever written, she had made a huge deal out of it, demanding for it to be handed over so that it could go on the shelves of every bookstore in Fiore.

Unfortunately for Anne, Lucy had sworn to Levy, her missing best friend, that she would be the first to read that first novel.

And a Celestial Spirit mage _always_ kept their promises.

* * *

When the blunette in question was done reading the aforementioned novel, she squealed happily at the ending before rushing to the nearest bookstore and buying copies of Lucy's other books and making a mental note to ask her best friend to sign them.

Then again, she had Lucy herself, so why bother with a signature?

* * *

When Lucy finally handed over the manuscript to her publisher, Anne nearly fainted in happiness. It was well-known that Lucy's first book had never been read and the reason for it, and she had certainly gained a following of loyal readers since then who were very eager to finally read it. Heck, Lucy could publish her grocery list and some of her fans would buy it.

Two weeks later, the older woman hummed cheerfully as she flipped through hundreds of pre-order forms, wondering if this would be Lucy's best-selling novel.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Oh, the poll is still open too, though at this point it's pretty obvious who is going to win.**


	12. Training for the Games and Matches

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the other characters.**

**Laxus is still very far in the lead.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy glanced at the obstacle course that her spirits had set up for her and her team. Lava pits, rock walls, whirlpools, sandstorms, booby-traps including tranquilizer darts, anti-gravity rune traps, you name it. Her spirits had a lot of fun creating more difficult and dangerous challenges every year for the games.

"Let's do this." Toph said with an excited grin, and the race began.

* * *

"Better, Miss Lucy." Capricorn praised with a grunt, ducking as Lucy sent one of her infamous Lucy kicks to his head. She didn't land a blow on him very often (he was, after all, rather fast), but the few times that she had managed to kick him had hurt quite a bit.

Lucy nodded in acknowledgement, not wanting to waste her breath since she still had half an hour with Capricorn, before launching another attack.

* * *

_Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._  
_All the stars, far and wide..._  
_Show me thy appearance..._  
_With such shine._  
_Oh Tetrabiblos... _  
_I am the ruler of the stars..._  
_Aspect become complete..._  
_Open thy malevolent gate._  
_Oh 88 Stars of the heaven... _  
_Shine!_  
_**Urano Metria!**_

Lucy fell to the ground, fatigued, as she completed her most powerful Celestial spell. She watched the brilliant show in front of her, 88 miniature stars all hitting her target, a rather dense boulder. Once the spell had completed, there was nothing left of it but a few dust particles.

It had taken awhile for her to get powerful enough to cast the spell without help (from either Hibiki or Gemini), but she had done it.

After a short break to catch her breath, Lucy stood back up, preparing to cast the spell again. Pushing the boundaries was a great way to improve, after all.

Hopefully she wouldn't land herself in the hospital again. The others, specifically Jellal and Kozue, still hadn't stopped lecturing her about that…

* * *

"Lucy!" Cana cheered, waving for her blonde friend to come over, exhaustion evident in her face. "How was your training?"

"Tiring." Lucy answered, yawning cutely and causing various males to think 'Kawaii!'

"Have a drink." Cana offered. "It always makes me feel better…

"No thanks, Cana." Lucy replied with a laugh.

"Ah, why not? You never drank with me! Wait a minute…" her eyes widened theatrically with a playful gasp. "Are you are lightweight?!"

"Not really…" Lucy mused, tilting her head thoughtfully before shaking her head. "But I certainly don't have your level of tolerance, and perverts tend to try taking advantage of that."

"What." Mira 'asked' from behind the counter, having overhead their conversation. Lucy tensed as she noticed the signature cracks over the She-Demon's face.

"It's not a big deal, Mira." Lucy placated nervously. "Before I got stronger, Jellal was always there to stop them, and by the time he moved out (not that he stopped looking after me when I was drunk) I was able to take care of myself even inebriated."

"If you're sure." Mirajane said with a sigh, the cracks disappearing as she went back to wiping glasses.

"I am." Lucy said with a smile before turning back to Cana. "Anyway, being sober while everyone around you gets smashed is hilarious, considering the people involved. The stories I could tell…and I have plenty of blackmail material, too."

"Do tell!" Cana and Mira gasped, leaning forward.

Lucy smirked darkly, and various people around Fiore (a majority of them Fairy Tail mages) shuddered in fear.

* * *

**Please review!**


	13. Exhibition Matches Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Toph, etcetera…**

**Laxus won the poll. I'd keep it open, but at this point there's no way NaLu is going to realistically win.**

**Anyway, here's part one of the Exhibition Matches!**

**Enjoy. xD**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, mages and non-mages alike!" Max roared out to the crowd with a microphone. "Welcome to the 17th Fairy Tail Exhibition Match event!"

The thousands of people in the crowd screamed their approval, extremely excited for the matches that would be taking place. Jura versus Toph, who wasn't a wizard saint (yet) but certainly had a reputation, Lucy Heartfilia versus the previously MIA Fire Dragon Slayer Salamander, and the also previously MIA Titania versus the She-Demon?!

These fights would undoubtedly be talked about for decades to come.

* * *

"Come on, old man!" Toph shouted excitedly. Jura let out a booming laugh, before launching his first attack: Iron Rock Spikes.

"What on Earthland…" Freed said, wide-eyed as he watched Toph manipulate the earth with a single fluid movement, easily countering Jura's attack. The girl kept silent instead of shouting out her attacks, and he could see no magic circles. "How is she accomplishing this?"

"She doesn't use Earth Magic, she uses Earth." Lucy answered with a delighted smile as she saw her friend hold her own against the wizard saint. "Basically, she _is_ Earth. Just as Juvia is Water."

Juvia's eyes lit up as she heard this. For years, she had been called a freak for being able to use Water as she did, and to find out that there were others like her…well, Fairy Tail already made her feel better about herself, and this just made it even better.

"Toph-chan developed her…'Seismic Sense' herself, did she not?" Juvia asked her Love Rival.

"Yes. Though, now that I think about it, other Earth Magic users have probably tried figuring it out themselves since the technique became known. I don't know if they'd succeed, though." Lucy answered thoughtfully, keeping her eyes on the match, wincing as sympathy as Jura was hit by one of the Blind Bandit's strikes.

"Many have tried to copy Juvia's Water Body." Juvia said with a sigh, brushing dirt off of her skirt. "They have all failed. Juvia would bet that the Earth Mages would as well."

"Most likely." Lucy agreed. "You two definitely have a stronger connection with your elements than most, that's for sure."

Juvia smiled proudly, before the two turned their full attention to the match.

* * *

Jura grumbled a bit as his opponent dodged yet another one of his attacks. He hadn't managed to land a blow on her, but she had landed one on him, though she'd mainly been playing defense.

Struck with an idea, he burrowed underground, like Lucy's spirit Virgo would, forgetting one important thing about his opponent.

He didn't realize it, but he had already lost.

* * *

Toph smirked as she felt Jura 'disappear' from the surface of the earth. Luckily for her, she wasn't limited by sight.

She kept track of Jura's progress, and just when he was about to reach her, she stomped her foot on the ground forcefully. A moment later, Jura shot up, held in a tight grip by a Rock Hand. He tried to cast another spell to escape and overwhelm her, but couldn't free his limbs to do so.

A projector lacrima showed a ten-second countdown in the air above them, anticipating either Jura's escape or Toph's victory.

It was at six seconds when Jura conceded his defeat.

"And the winner is: TOPH BEI FONG!" Max announced, and the crowds went wild.

* * *

"That was amazing!" Wendy said breathlessly.

"Wasn't it?!" Romeo agreed from his seat beside her.

"The girl didn't actively attack." Carla observed, slightly confused. After all, Fairy Tail mages rarely let their opponents strike first.

"Yeah, apparently her trick is to wait for the right moment, and then strike." Romeo explained happily, waving over someone who was going up and down the stands, selling drinks and snacks. He bought the three of them bottles of water and some pink cotton candy for each of them.

"Oh, thank you." Carla said in surprise when the boy handed Wendy their share. Wendy herself blushed before thanking him quietly.

"You're welcome, Wendy, Miss Carla." Romeo answered with a kind smile.

"What is this?" Wendy asked after a moment, sampling her treat. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's called cotton candy." Romeo explained, taking a bit of his own. "Be careful, it's sticky when it's wet."

"Noted." Carla responded, appreciating the warning as she tried it herself. "Not bad." She approved.

"It's almost like I'm eating air!" Wendy told them, giggling as the cotton candy stuck to her fingers.

"Really?" Romeo mused thoughtfully. "So this is kind of what it's like for you? I always wondered."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, blushing again. He'd wondered about her?

"Oh!" Romeo's blush matched hers. "Well, when you first joined the guild, I was really curious. Like, was eating air like breathing? I'd seen Natsu eat fire, and then Gajeel, but I couldn't really imagine what it would be like eating something that's constantly around you. Do you sometimes 'take a bite' by accident when you're breathing normally?"

As Wendy explained her powers to a curious Romeo, Carla glanced at the two thoughtfully.

'At least this one has some manners.' She thought with a sigh, resigned as she realized that these two might end up in a relationship in the future. 'And good taste.' She concluded, taking a bite of her cotton candy.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Sorry I'm so crappy at writing fights, or at least this one. I wanted to have dialogue between the other characters. Maybe I'll have them go all out at the Grand Magic Games to make up for it. After all, a kingdom-wide competition for the title of strongest guild would be more motivating than a friendly competition like this.**

**Note: Juvia's magic really is called Water, which is different from Water Magic. Just check the Fairy Tail wiki. I figure each element has users who can use the pure form of it like Juvia does, and Toph is totally badass enough to use Earth instead of Earth Magic.**


	14. Exhibition Match, Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the characters, etc.**

**Guest: Sorry, but this isn't a Natsu OR Romeo bashing story. You can skip the RoWen parts if you want (I doubt there will be all that many), but Natsu will mainly show up in the more important parts, so I wouldn't recommend skipping his scenes.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Next we have Natsu Dragneel, known as Salamander by his fans, up against the lovely and talented Lucy Heartfilia, the Aurora of the High Heavens!" Max announced, snickering as Lucy got more applause than Natsu.

Lucy walked up to the center of the stadium they had rented out, and some of her old friends were a bit surprised at what she was wearing. This outfit was more fit for combat than her old clothing, certainly.

She wore a gray tank top, and loose black pants with black running shoes. She also wore a black leather jacket for some protection just in case she was thrown, and a gold wrist cuff, which absorbed a bit of the ambient magic in her surroundings. Not much, but enough to get by in a pinch.

Natsu, on the other hand, wore his usual clothes. He grinned at her. "Ready, Luce?"

"Yes." Lucy answered with a smile, hand ready so that she could requip a key the moment the battle started.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted excitedly as the bell rang, signaling that they could start. He immediately sprang forwards, wanting to get too close for Lucy to use her whip, but she had disappeared.

* * *

"What on earth…" Erza murmured, surprised.

"Not on earth." Toph said with a wide grin. "_In_ it."

* * *

Indeed, the moment the bell had rung, Lucy had used the time that it had taken Natsu to use his usual catchphrase to summon Virgo, who immediately took her underground and began digging a tunnel system under the battlefield, just waiting for Natsu to take a wrong step.

"Come on, Lucy!" Natsu protested happily, body tense and straining his senses in the hopes of figuring out where she was hiding. "Come out and play!"

"Fine then." He spun around to see Lucy behind him, signature grin in place as she reached towards her whip, the River of Stars shining blue with lightning-like stars rippling through it.

She launched an attack with the weapon, and Natsu ran towards her, having difficulty dodging the blows. He had almost reached her when she disappeared.

"What?!" Natsu demanded, realizing that he had been tricked by Gemini. He spun around, only to see a strange looking man (spirit?) that he had never seen before.

The man had dark brown hair and gold eyes, tall and lithe with pale skin. He stood in front of Lucy protectively.

"New spirit?" Natsu guessed, before launching a Fire Dragon Roar at the man.

He expected the man to have gone back to the spirit world, but when the dust settled, he was shocked to see him standing there, unharmed.

"Natsu, this is Nick, spirit of the Phoenix constellation." Lucy introduced with an innocent smile, hands behind her back.

"Great." Natsu muttered. He certainly wasn't an expert on Celestial Spirits, but he knew what a phoenix was, and it had power over fire. If that guy could take one of his roars so easily, this could be a problem.

After a moment, he decided to just overwhelm the spirit. After all, he couldn't last against his attacks for very long.

Hopefully.

So he spent a few minutes doing just that, growing frustrated as his attacks not only didn't work, but Lucy just stood there expectantly, not launching any of her own.

"Damn it, Lucy!" Natsu shouted. "Just do something already!"

"I am." She countered. "I power the attacks of my spirits while they're in our world."

"Princess Lucy speaks the truth." 'Nick' confirmed, dispelling more of Natsu's flames as he did so.

"You know what I mean!" Natsu snapped.

"Why should I?" Lucy teased. "You haven't landed a blow on me, I could easily lead this to a draw by letting the timer run out."

Natsu yelled, jumping towards her, only to have the ground collapse, bringing him down.

"The hell…" he muttered.

"Virgo and I didn't just hide while we were down there." Lucy explained with a grin.

Natsu tried everything he could to escape, but for some reason even his more powerful spells didn't work.

"Oh, and I might have set up a basic rune field while we were down there, too." Lucy finished.

* * *

From up in the stands, Levy and Freed looked closer at the scene, and could make out the barely visible runes surrounding the dragon slayer.

Levy burst out laughing, while Freed chuckled quietly.

"I will admit, I did not expect that." Freed murmured to Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen.

* * *

Lucy grinned when she heard Levy.

"Damn it!" Natsu shouted furiously, trying again to escape, though just like the other times, it didn't work. He sighed in defeat. "What are the rules?"

"You have to admit that I have you beat." Lucy informed him with a happy sigh. "Out loud."

* * *

"Damn, go Lucy." Gray muttered, impressed. She chose the one condition that he wouldn't meet.

"Love Rival has Gray-sama's attention!" Juvia cried silently.

"Ah, don't worry about it Juvia!" Cana reassured her, throwing an arm around her friend's shoulder. "This is a battle, _all_ of us have our attention on them!"

* * *

"Not happening." Natsu refused, thinking that it was a joke and she would let him go so that their battle could continue.

"I was hoping that you would say that." Lucy said with a devious grin.

Suddenly, the rune barrier appeared in full, so that people besides Levy and Freed could see it. It flashed a light pink, before Natsu was forced out of the ground, levitating in the air.

"Damn it!" Natsu whined as he tried to get down. Even his magic didn't help the situation. "Put me down, Luce!"

"Not a chance, this is something I'll probably never have the opportunity to do again." Lucy scoffed. "Now. Obviously, I forgot to mention a few of the rules. If you refused to admit defeat, I'd be able to control where you go in the barrier, hence why you're able to fly without Happy. Also, you're unable to lie right now, and if I ask you a question, you'll be forced to answer."

"Shit." Natsu's eyes widened.

"I should charge people to have me ask you questions." Lucy said thoughtfully, before shaking her head. "No, the time would run out too quickly. Anyway, first question: are you actually as oblivious about girls as you act?"

* * *

Mirajane gasped in glee when Natsu answered 'no.' There was hope for him yet!

"Well I could have told you that!" Erik scoffed. "When we first fought he thought of a dirty joke to test out my Sound Magic!"

A majority of the guilds' mouths dropped in shock.

"He knows what a dirty joke is?" Bickslow asked.

* * *

"And who do you like?" Lucy asked. "Romantically."

"Not you." Natsu muttered with a huff, still trying to escape.

"Yes, thank you." Lucy said with a sigh, rolling her eyes. "I'm well aware of that. Thank god, you already destroy my house enough, dating you would only make that worse!"

"Your apartment was nicer than my house!" Natsu said.

"That's because you never cleaned your house!" Lucy snapped, before calming down. Time was almost up… "Now, since it would take you forever to do this on your own…who do you like?"

"Lucy has me beat!" Natsu shouted, panicked, as he felt the magic try and get the answer out of him.

"Thank you." Lucy said, dispelling the runes. She had long since sent Nick back to the Spirit World. "But seriously, you should tell her at some point, before someone else wises up."

* * *

"NO!" Mirajane wailed at the proof that NaLu would never happen. There went her OTP.

She froze in realization, glancing at her younger sister, who was biting her lip.

Lisanna had had a crush on Natsu for years before disappearing. Were those feelings still there? Was she the girl Natsu liked?

Oh, if only Natsu had answered that second question!

Meanwhile, a lot of people in the guild were trying to talk Ultear into letting them re-watch the battle (or more specifically, Natsu's defeat), since she was in charge of recording it."And, in an interesting turn of events…" Max sounded all too amused, in Natsu's opinion. "The victor is Lucy Heartfilia!"

The girl in question blew a kiss to the crowd as they cheered.

Some were disappointed that there wasn't more actual fighting on their part, but others weren't really surprised. After all, the Games were coming up, and it wasn't quite time to psych out the competition, even if it only included Lamia Scale.

* * *

**Please Review!**

**Like I mentioned, it wouldn't make sense for Lucy to show off at this point when the Games are coming up, so she mostly just used her intelligence and Natsu's temper to win this one. And yes, Lucy has more spirits! They'll be introduced a bit later...**

**Erza and Mirajane are up next!**


	15. Exhibition Match Part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the characters, etcetera. I doubt that will change.**

**Note: I did post a chapter earlier today. Irritating how this website doesn't tell you how many chapters of a story have been updated since you last checked. Well, unless it's on Story Alert, but I always just favorite a story I like, otherwise I'll forget it exists and I can't go back to re-read it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Seriously, Lucy?" Natsu muttered, irritated. The two were now sitting in the stands with the rest of their guild, awaiting the fight between Erza and Mirajane.

"Sorry." The blonde returned with a sheepish shrug. "I found out during your guys' absence that Mira had a long-term plan to get us together, and even though Levy had tried telling her it wouldn't work, she wouldn't give up."

"She-Demon." Natsu sighed. "Still, though. Did you have to throw me under the bus?"

"Of course!" Lucy gasped in mock affront, with an amused glint in her eyes. "Better you than me. That, and I had enough of my father pressuring me to choose a husband, I don't need anyone trying to push me to go out with someone."

Unbeknownst to the pair, a certain white-haired barmaid was right around the corner, and gasped in horror, putting a hand over her mouth.

She hadn't even considered that! Damn it all, no wonder Lucy had always been vehement about avoiding her matchmaking schemes, though obviously the news of her knowing who Natsu liked had something to do with that.

She took a deep breath, and continued walking down to the arena to prepare for her fight, but her mind wandered.

Biting her lip, she decided to let Lucy find love at her own pace, and only help if the girl asked for or needed it.

Maybe she should think of the consequences her matchmaking had for her other favorite pairings…for example, did her imagined niece or nephew's horrifying appearance justify her not liking the idea of Elfman being with Evergreen? She was a nice enough woman, once you get past the pride and arrogance, and she certainly had no trouble handling her brother.

* * *

"And now…for the event that many of us have been waiting years to see…Erza 'Titania' Scarlet against Mirajane 'She-Demon' Strauss!" Max yelled excitedly. When the bell rang for the fight to begin, however, he ducked for cover.

* * *

The two former rivals immediately launched towards each other, Mirajane transforming into her Satan Soul and Erza requiping into her Heaven's Wheel armor.

* * *

Makarov started wailing, just thinking of the amount of property damage these two were probably about to cause. However, he cheered up slightly when he realized that now Macao was the one who would have to deal with it.

* * *

"This is going to end in a draw, isn't it?" Lucy murmured, watching the battle closely.

Both of her friends were bruised and slightly bloody, as was to be expected from a battle between two S-Class mages who had been rivals. Both were determined to win, however.

"Let's finish this!" Erza roared, changing into her Purgatory armor, which she considered to be her most powerful. She wielded the huge spiked mace with one hand.

"Let's." Mira agreed, before using her Satan Soul: Haphas take over. Within moments, she looked like a blue demon, with odd fish-looking scales in patches on her skin and a reptilian tail.

"STOP THE FIGHT!" Makarov shouted as they made to attack again, suddenly panicked.

The two girls paused, turning to look at the man they most respected.

"What's wrong, Master?" Erza asked with a frown, not hearing Macao mutter to himself mutinously. "We do not yet have a winner."

"There won't be anyone to _declare_ a winner if you two keep this up!" Makarov cried. "There's a reason I banned Mirajane from using that Take Over, she destroyed an entire city, and pair that with your Purgatory armor…"

"Oh!" Mirajane gasped in a deeper voice than usual, suddenly transforming back into her normal Satan Soul. "I apologize, Master. I got caught up in the battle." Likewise, Erza changed into her Black Wing armor.

"May we restart the battle?" the redhead asked hopefully.

"Uh…maybe some other time." Makarov sweat-dropped as he took in the utterly destroyed battle grounds. Max had been smart to hide after the battle began. "I hope this place is insured…"

"It is!" Wakaba called out. "We checked!"

* * *

"I didn't even get to see the match!" Toph complained with a huff.

"You're blind, though." Rin replied, confused. "Isn't that kind of...uh…expected?"

He yelped when Meredy punched his shoulder.

"She meant seeing using her magic, doofus." The pinkette explained, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Toph. Most of it took place in the air."

* * *

Later on, Natsu and Gray grumbled as they handed Lucy her winnings (minus the 10% of course) from the bet they had going on regarding the Erza and Mira fight.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Yeah, I know, I'm not very good at writing fighting scenes. You guys get it though; vicious attacks were exchanged, neither could get the upper hand, both were worn out and nearly out of power by the end of it. Sorry! I promise I'll put more effort in for the Grand Magic Games, or at least the parts that aren't cannon. Anyway, I might have a couple of filler chapters before the GMG's, but they're coming up soon!**

**I might have been a little harsh on Mirajane about the matchmaking thing, huh? I'll see if I can't make it up to her later. She'll just be a little more aware of what the people she's pairing up **_**actually**_** want.**


	16. A Starry Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or anything in this story.**

**Okay, so this is a filler chapter (but don't skip it just because of that, it does actually have a plot!) There will probably be a few of these before the Games start, but maybe not, since I am eager to get those started.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Lucy!" Macao called, gaining the attention of the blonde in question and a majority of the Tenrou Group (some because they were curious about anything happening these days, and others who worried about Lucy since Zeref took her away from them on Tenrou.)

Lucy excused herself from her table, where she'd been sitting with Team Natsu, Wendy, Lisanna, and the Exceeds, before heading over to the older man. "What's up?"

"Another school requested you." He answered with a proud smile, handing her a sheet of paper for the job.

"Oh! Go ahead and accept, then." Lucy said, large brown eyes warm and excited. With that, she went back over to her table.

"Lushee, what's that?" Happy asked, hoping that it was something that he could tease her about. She wasn't as easy to anger, these days, and he kind of missed it.

"Well, occasionally I'm asked to go on a stargazing trip with kids about Wendy and Romeo's age." Lucy said. "It's fun. Usually I just point out the constellations and talk about them, but sometimes a few of my spirits will agree to tell the kids about themselves. It makes it more interesting."

"Wow!" Wendy sighed, awed. "That does sound fun!"

"Sometimes I take the kids with me. Yui, Asuka, Romeo…" Lucy said. "If you want, you can come, too. And Carla, of course." She finished with a grin.

"Oh, please!" Wendy agreed happily, blushing at the information that Romeo might come along, too.

"It does sound like a worthy venture." Carla agreed. "There isn't very much room for property damage, and you can teach us something new."

"One of the reasons I like taking this type of job." Lucy agreed with a nod.

"Eh, but that takes all the fun out of it!" Natsu scoffed.

"Sure it does." Lucy said, rolling her eyes and slapping him upside the head.

"What was that for?" the Fire Dragon Slayer protested, rubbing his head gently.

"Since I started taking solo missions my rewards haven't been reduced even once." Lucy huffed. "Which just proved what I'd been telling you back then: it was _your_ fault (well, and Gray's) that I was always having trouble with rent!"

"Hey, don't bring me into this!" Gray said, almost panicked.

"Every job, they got into a fight, or destroyed part of town, or attacked someone important." Lucy told Lisanna, who giggled, having no trouble believing it. "We rarely got the full reward. It was usually cut to help with repairs or because the client wasn't happy with them for some reason or another."

"Hey, we want her to go on missions with us occasionally, don't warn her off!" Natsu protested.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy agreed.

"I'm not warning her off!" Lucy argued. "I'm just letting her know what to expect!"

"And if you two are half as bad as I've heard, and not just from Lucy, I appreciate it." Lisanna defended her. "I'll just go on a mission with Mira-nee or Elf-nii if I need to."

"Or maybe Levy, or Cana, or Juvia…" Lucy listed.

"Kinana, Laki, Kozue…" -Lisanna

"Sinon, Asuna, Kirito…" –Lucy

"Okay, we get it!" Natsu said, exasperated. He pouted, realizing that he might not get as much time with his old friend as he had hoped. It was bad enough that Lucy was mostly a solo mage now.

"Aye!" Happy agreed miserably, holding his head. "Too many names…" he fell out of the air.

"Why are there fish swimming around my head?!" he asked dizzily, trying to catch them.

Lucy and Lisanna glanced at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles while Wendy was trying to decide between helping the blue Exceed and joining them in laughter.

Carla sighed in both annoyance and reluctant amusement.

* * *

"Wow!" Wendy gasped in awe as she saw the beautiful night sky, pausing in the trek up the hill. "I haven't seen the night sky like this since…Grandineey was with me."

"It's a better view here than in the city, isn't it?" Romeo asked with a wide grin, nudging his friend on the shoulder. He didn't want the night she had been looking forward to, becoming bittersweet by thoughts of her absent foster mother.

"Pretty." Asuka agreed, clapping her hands. Yui giggled softly in agreement.

Wendy smiled at her new friends, picking up Asuka when she stumbled and carrying her the rest of the way.

* * *

Lucy smiled as she wrapped up her 'lecture', which was really just telling the kids stories about the few constellations that were visible that night: Lyra, Sagittarius, and Scutum, the Shield. She didn't have the last one, but Lyra and Sagittarius had both agreed to talk to the kids a bit, and Lyra had played a song that made it easier for the kids to stay awake.

All in all, it had been a hit.

* * *

"Miss Heartfilia!" one of the young girls called, gaining her attention.

"What is it, Hannah?" Lucy asked, kneeling down to the girl's level.

"My momma wanted to talk with you for a few minutes." She brown hair and blue eyed girl answered.

"Um, okay, but I'll have to go home soon." Lucy agreed. "One moment, I'll tell my nakama to wait a few more minutes."

She quickly went off to Wendy and Romeo, asking them to watch the younger girls for a few more minutes while she talked to Hannah's mother, and the two agreed happily.

* * *

"Miss Heartfilia, I understand that you are a published author?" Mrs. Fujioka got right down to business.

"Yes, ma'am." Lucy confirmed, eyebrows furrowing.

"Good. I would like to offer you a column in Sorcerer's Weekly." She nodded decisively.

"What?" Lucy was confused. "Wait a moment…there was just a change in ownership. You're the new owner? Why would you want _me_ to write for you?"

"Smart girl." Nicole said appraisingly, looking her up and down and wondering if she could get the girl to agree to model some clothes for the winter catalogue. "You're more or less considered an expert in the field of astrology, correct?"

"I wouldn't say an expert, exactly…" Lucy rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"But more than most?" Nicole prodded.

"Probably." Lucy agreed after a moment.

"Well, I would like for you to write one or two articles per month about the Zodiac that is associated with the date you publish the article." She explained. "Perhaps readers can send in questions for you or your spirits to answer, give the stereotypical character traits for that sign, etcetera."

"It would be an honor!" Lucy said breathlessly, eyes wide. "Though, I can't promise that my friends will answer any questions, I won't force them to do so."

Nicole blinked in confusion at the word 'friends', before recalling that this wasn't your typical Celestial Spirit mage. Most didn't see the spirits as people, but Miss Heartfilia was known for it.

"I can accept that." The woman agreed after a moment, and the two women shook hands.

"I'll get in touch with you within a week." Nicole said, before she swept her exhausted daughter into her arms and left.

Lucy stood there for a moment, stunned at the opportunity that had basically just fallen into her lap, before turning back to Wendy, Romeo, Asuka, and Yui.

"Come on, let's go home!" she said with a smile, picking up Yui. Asuka was now being carried by Romeo, while Wendy cuddled the sleeping Carla.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Okay, so I've had a lot of people ask who Natsu's love interest is. To be honest, I didn't really have anyone planned. I'll start a poll soon, but for now, does anyone have a girl they want me to consider? So far Lisanna (duh) and Millianna are being considered, though I personally prefer Lisanna with Bickslow. There's just something about those two...**


	17. Uniforms and Headbands

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, any characters, etcetera.**

**I'm not sure I'd count this a filler, but oh well. Maybe an idea will strike me before I continue on to the Games themselves.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Um…what is this?" Toph asked, feeling the clothing that had just been handed to her by the newly-reinstated Master Makarov.

"That, my dear, is your uniform for the Grand Magic Games!" Makarov answered with a smile.

"Why?" Raven asked, using her powers to levitate the clothing in front of her, not daring to touch it. "We've never worn uniforms for the Games before."

"Because our dearest Master is a not-so-subtle pervert." Lucy muttered darkly, scowling at the man. Toph, Raven, Meredy, and Ultear glared at the short man at that little piece of information.

Meanwhile, Jellal backed away slowly, proving that not all males were idiots.

"At least I probably won't need to wear it." Meredy murmured, glad that she had been chosen as reserve only.

"Oh, but you all need to try them on to make sure they fit!" Makarov insisted, dancing in his mind.

"OR…" Lucy began, smiling sweetly as she knelt to Makarov's level before she put on a blank expression. "You can allow us to sort out our own 'uniforms', if we absolutely _must_ have them, and we'll base them on your ideas. Otherwise, I might just call Mira in here…"

"No!" Makarov shouted, sweating anxiously. "No, dear, that won't be necessary. The uniforms are actually necessary, however, to show solidarity even though we will have two separate teams. Have fun!"

Once the man was gone, Lucy's teammates snickered.

"That was more amusing than it had any right to be." Jellal admitted, before frowning. "I hope he hasn't talked Team B into wearing something like that…"

"Don't worry, I doubt Erza and Mira would let him get away with that." Meredy comforted him, patting him on the shoulder. "Seeing Erza in such a suggestive outfit is for your eyes only, I'm sure."

She shrieked as Jellal tickled her mercilessly in retaliation for the comment, while Toph, Meredy, Ultear, and Lucy cackled. Raven just shook her head in thinly-veiled amusement.

* * *

"Much better." Lucy said with a happy sigh, examining her new and improved outfit. She had left the top of the Master's design the same, shoulder thing and all, but she had exchanged the skirt for pants, which would be better in a combat situation, and had gotten rid of the white cape-like cloth on the back.

"I can't really tell the difference." Toph shrugged, feeling around her own. It was nearly identical to her battle outfit (i.e. the one she's most seen in during the Avatar: The Last Airbender series), but it was dark purple and cream colored as opposed to green and beige. The bands that went around her ankles and wrists were also purple, with the Fairy Tail emblem in the cream color outlined with gold.

"I quite like mine!" Meredy said with a giggle, already wearing hers. It looked exactly like her usual outfit, just with a different color scheme and the Fairy Tail emblem on her cloak. "I might actually wear this even if I don't have to fill in for one of you."

"You should, it looks good on you." Ultear told her friend/surrogate daughter, examining her own outfit. Like Meredy's, it was her usual clothing style but with the purple, cream, and gold color scheme. "I cannot say the same for Jellal, however."

"Thank you, the commentary is so very appreciated." Jellal said sarcastically, tugging at the high collar of his cloak. Like Ultear and Meredy, he was wearing his usual style, but with the same color scheme as the rest of them.

If only it didn't clash with his hair…

"How about yours, Princess (AN: well, Raven's dad is basically the king of Hell, so...)?" Toph asked curiously, since the other girl hadn't yet said anything.

"It will work." Raven said with an uncaring shrug. She had borrowed Lucy's Colors Magic device, and had merely changed her usual outfit to match the 'team colors', making the others want to hit themselves for not thinking of doing that instead of buying new outfits. Instead of her usual broach, however, there was a gold clasp with the Fairy Tail mark.

* * *

As predicted, the uniforms that Makarov had given to Team B were immediately destroyed by Gajeel, Erza, and Laxus, sending the short man running in fear. Maybe he should've heeded Lucy's warning…

No, where was the fun in that?

* * *

"Gajeel…what is that?" Juvia asked curiously, seeing a piece of cloth in her friend's hand.

"Eh?" Gajeel glanced at her distractedly. Realizing what she was talking about, he stuffed the object in his pocket. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

Pantherlily came up from behind him, grabbing the object from his pocket as Gajeel swore, smoothing it out and showing it to his partner's friend.

"Is this what I think it is?" Lily asked, amused, dodging as his partner threw his mug at him.

"Juvia _knew _it!" the blue-haired mage squealed uncharacteristically when she realized what Lily was showing her.

"Knew what?" Gajeel grumbled in annoyance, giving up on getting the headband back. For now.

"Levy-san will be good for you!" Juvia said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"OY!" Gajeel snarled, wide-eyed and looking nervous. "Keep it down, Ame on'na (AN: translation of Rain Woman, according to the Fairy Tail wiki)!"

Juvia pouted, before smirking deviously. "But Juvia is so happy for you, Kurogane (Black Steel)!"

"Oh Mavis." Gajeel muttered, horrified. Unfortunately, he couldn't even lie to the girl, as she's always been able to see right through him, and would find a way to make it worse if he tried.

"You called?" The First Master popped up, pale blonde hair bouncing as she jumped on their table and sat down cross-legged.

Gajeel put his head on the table in defeat, while his traitorous cat and friend laughed at his misfortune.

"What's so funny?" Mavis blinked, confused.

* * *

**Please review.**

**Okay!**

**So far Lisanna, Millianna, Meredy, Ultear, and Mirajane have been suggested as Natsu's love interest. I am considering putting Lisanna with Bickslow and Mirajane with Freed, but it's not set in stone yet, so feel free to vote otherwise. **

**Also, it's not too late to suggest someone who isn't listed, though I don't plan on making him gay. He was too attentive when he saw Lucy naked in the movie for me to justify that.**


	18. A New Exceed?

**Disclaimer:**

**Star High: Really, three different reviews (I know one of them was posted as a Guest, but your phrasing was the same) for one chapter with your preferences in the romantic aspect of the story? I wouldn't have had your patience to type all of those out. :) Nonetheless, I'll consider it. My problems with the Gray and Ultear thing is that a) for so many years Ultear saw Gray as her mother's replacement child, and b) Juvia. Though to be honest I think Juvia deserves someone who will appreciate her more than Gray. And don't worry, Laxus won the poll; he is Lucy's love interest.**

**NOTE: I forgot to add Toph to the list of Natsu's potential love interests. I had a feeling that I was forgetting someone…oh well. **

**Not that Natsu's love life is in any way going to be important for this story. It centers on Lucy, and after seven years of separation from Team Natsu and working with others during that time, he's not the biggest part of her life anymore, so we won't see as much of him as we would in the series.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Presents!" Romeo shouted, eyes wide. He clutched his head as he got dizzy from sitting up so suddenly.

A majority of the people in the guild jumped in shock at the sudden yell, before Kinana squealed.

"We forgot!" she cried.

"What's going on?" Gray asked, confused. He unconsciously began stripping, and Juvia was torn between watching him and paying attention to the others.

"During Christmas and your birthdays, we bought presents for all of you, even if you weren't here to celebrate it with us." Laki explained, jumping behind the counter to get the key to the storage room. As the name implied, the gifts in question were stored there. "Though, I guess you could just consider the birthday presents as more Christmas presents, considering you guys didn't age…"

Two hours later, all of the Fairy Tail members were in the guild, though some of the new members weren't paying much attention. People had been called in from home and jobs via communication lacrima, but they didn't really mind.

* * *

"Okay, Mira, Elfman, Lisanna…" Lucy murmured, having been volunteered to hand out the gifts with Laki and Kinana. "Oh! These ones are from me, actually. Open them at the same time, they kind of go with each other."

The siblings blinked in confusion, but followed her instructions.

Lisanna and Mirajane gasped in awe at the beautiful jewelry that they were presented with. "Lucy, these are beautiful!" Lisanna gasped.

"Thank you so much!" Mirajane exclaimed, equally stunned.

Mirajane had a white gold necklace portraying a figure. On one side it had a halo and an angel wing, while the other had devil horns and a wing modeled after Mira's Satan Soul take over.

Lisanna, on the other hand, had a white gold charm bracelet with various charms on it. A demon and beast for her siblings, a ball of flames for Natsu, a cat for Happy, the Fairy Tail emblem, and her most used Animal Take Over forms.

"This is so MANLY!" Elfman cried proudly, putting on the black wristband with the Fairy Tail emblem in white.

"They're each imbued with a memory lacrima, too." Lucy explained with a grin, showing how Mira's angel-demon hybrid opened up, and how Elfman and Lisanna's Fairy Tail marks could transform into one. "Just think back to a memory, power it a bit with your magic, and you can view it."

Lisanna bit her lip as her eyes started to water. She would have dearly loved a gift like this during the time she was in Edolas, even if she would've had to find another power source.

Her older siblings were having similar thoughts, and a moment later the Celestial Spirit mage was tackled by the Take Over siblings, who hugged her so hard that she was afraid that her ribs would crack.

"Help…" Lucy squeaked breathlessly, glaring when her other friends merely laughed at her predicament.

* * *

"Gray." Lucy announced. "This one is a joint gift from most of us, actually."

He blinked, before shredding the wrapping paper to reveal a wrist cuff similar to Elfman's, though in dark blue instead of black.

"Thank you?" he ventured uncertainly, having a feeling (after the Strauss siblings) that there was more to the gift than it appeared.

"Smart boy." Erik said with a grin, hearing his thoughts. Kozue and Warren smiled in amusement as well.

"Right…" Kinana muttered, raising an eyebrow at her fiancé. "Anyway, this thing won't come off unless you _consciously_ intend it. It also acts as a type of holder-type Requip magic. No more losing your clothes and having to go search for them."

"We tried finding clothes that you wouldn't be able to strip." Lucy informed him sardonically. "However, nothing we found would work very well, so we compromised with this."

A few feet away, Cana was awkwardly patting Juvia's shoulder, reassuring her that she would still have plenty of opportunities to see Gray strip.

* * *

Happy and Natsu had similar gifts. Rare meat and spicy food for Natsu, and rare fish for Happy to try. All of it kept under a stasis field to remain fresh and edible.

Cana got a rather large collection of alcohol from around Fiore that the others had bought, been gifted, or rewarded with by dong jobs. A few of them were reluctant to give them to her (mostly Wakaba and Macao, her old drinking buddies), but she offered them a few sips.

Wendy got a necklace with two angel wings positioned to look like a heart. The wings opened to show a place for a picture, and the necklace absorbed some of the ambient magic around her so that she could use it as needed.

Levy got books from her favorite authors, and books in series that she had been in the process of reading. She was ecstatic, because she would've had to wait for years for the rest of those books to come out, and now she had them right there.

Erza got a few outfits and sets of armor that she didn't already have, and she was cycling through them every few minutes to get a feel for them.

Juvia got a few new outfits and accessories, such as a beautiful sleeveless blue dress that started off a light blue and darkened as it got lower. She was also given a silver heart locket necklace with her name written in tiny sapphire gemstones. The Rain Woman could be heard muttering in contemplation on whether to cut her hair again as she held the dress to her body happily.

The others got interesting gifts as well, but the most notable moment was when Laxus was presented with his.

"What the—" Laxus muttered, eyes going wide. "Is this what I think it is?"

Only a few people in the room heard the carefully hidden hope in his voice. Gajeel was one of them, and he smirked knowingly.

"We were told that the egg will hatch in a few weeks." Lucy said with a grin, nodding towards the white egg with yellow lightning-like stripes.

"You came across this fairly recently." Freed observed thoughtfully.

"We did." Laki agreed, before frowning. "We visited the Exceed village to see how they're doing. This little one lost its parents, who were killed protecting the egg from a forest Vulcan."

"Usually the child would have been adopted." Lucy said after a moment of silence. "But when we saw the markings on the egg, we knew it was meant for you. When we informed them that you were a Dragon Slayer, they agreed to let us take the poor thing and hope you all would turn up soon."

Lucy, Kinana, and Laki grinned at Laxus, who blinked in delayed shock.

"Welcome to the club, man!" Natsu cheered excitedly. "If you need any tips, feel free to ask!"

"Ask me, you mean." Lisanna said teasingly.

Happy nodded. "Ask Lisanna. Natsu didn't have a clue."

"Nothing knew there." Gajeel grunted amidst everyone's snickering as Natsu protested weakly.

"I'll ask Pantherlily or Wendy if I need to." Laxus said, sweat-dropping. Lily hadn't been raised by a human, but he surely knew a thing or two, and Carla had turned out well under Wendy's care. Or maybe it was the other way around, considering the white exceed's attitude…

* * *

**Please review!**

**Yeah, nothing special here. I was trying to come up with ideas for filler chapters and this came out. I think I'll just start the Grand Magic Games next chapter, but no promises.**

**Any suggestions for what Laxus names his Exceed? She'll be a girl. I wouldn't recommend anything like 'Electra' or something related to Laxus' magic, though. Frosch, Lector, Happy, and Carla, have nothing to do with their partner's magic, and Lily's doesn't for obvious reasons.**


	19. Bachelorette Date Auction

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the characters, etc.**

**So, I realized that if I want to do the Grand Magic Games justice, I need to watch that part of the anime before I try and write it. At the moment I'm a few episodes before it starts, with the Infinity Clock. I might skip that part so I can get to writing it sooner.**

**Anyway, because of that, this is going to be another filler chapter. Odd, I think it's also my longest chapter in this story.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"How did gramps manage to talk you all into this, again?" Laxus asked in disbelief, eying the girls.

"Blackmail." Cana snarled, irritated. She could be drinking right now, but _no_, she had to participate in this!

"Don't worry, Cana." Mirajane reassured her with a mischievous smile. "I'm sure Gildarts will have a talk with him when he finds out that Master is selling you."

Cana laughed in delight, eagerly awaiting that sight.

* * *

"Good evening, gentlemen!" Makarov greeted the crowd with a smile.

"There aren't very many gentlemen here, actually." Freed murmured, glancing around at the riff-raff inhabiting the guild hall.

Laxus smirked from his place beside him, having just gotten back from checking on the girls.

"Welcome to the first Bachelorette Auction Night!" Makarov said excitedly, eyes gleaming at the prospect of money for the guild and the sight of scantily clad girls.

* * *

"First up is the lovely Laki Olietta!" Makarov announced, as Laki jumped onto the stage. Her hair was done in a rather nice bun, with strands framing her face. She wore a white summer dress with a lavender sash and white heeled boots.

"What on earth…" Makarov muttered in confusion. That wasn't the outfit that she had been given to wear.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Laki asked innocently, faking concern.

"Not at all, dear." Makarov reassured, shaking his head a bit before reading off the card he had been given. "Laki is our resident Wood Make mage! Feisty, devious, and slightly sadistic, you do not want to mess with her!"

Laki waved at the crowd happily, amused as Makarov wondered who had changed his cards. He wouldn't have added that Laki was sadistic! And the clothing…

"Let's start the bidding at 10,000 Jewels!" Makarov announced.

Of all people, it was Erik (Cobra) that took the bait.

After taking a look at him and realizing that he was a dragon slayer from rumors, his pointed ears, canines, and the scar on his eye, the non-mages and mages alike decided not to go against him.

"Sold!"

* * *

"Dude!" Gray hissed. "You're engaged!"

"Really, I had no idea." Erik muttered sarcastically. "Kinana isn't participating because of that."

Alzack nodded in agreement. Being in a committed relationship had also gotten Bisca out of it.

"Laki didn't want to do this, so Kinana told him to buy her for the night so they could all hang out with the old man paying for it." Rin explained.

"Whipped." Natsu coughed.

"Oh, don't even start." Erik warned. "Remember, I know who you like. I could easily let something…slip."

"You wouldn't!" Natsu gasped.

"I would." Erik said, before turning back to Rin. "I'm assuming you plan to make an offer for Kozue?"

"Yeah." Rin said with a sappy grin. He used to have a crush on a girl named Shiemi, but she had liked his twin brother, Yukio, and he had eventually realized that she was too innocent for his taste. Kozue, on the other hand, was perfect for him. Still sweet, compassionate, and beautiful, but she could also take care of herself. She was also more intelligent than he was, but that wasn't saying all that much.

Meredy spoke up, having made the excuse that she had a cold so that she wouldn't have to participate. Ultear ranting at Makarov for trying to sell her foster daughter had probably helped, too. "I do hope that Kirito bids for Asuna and it doesn't turn out like last time…"

"That was funny." Jet admitted. He froze as he wondered whether or not Gajeel would act like that with him and Droy if he did end up with Levy. If she had to make a choice, it would be them, right?

Right?

* * *

"Next up is Levy McGarden, our Solid Script Mage! Considered the most intelligent person in the entire guild, Levy has a deep love for books, and she's the most loyal and forgiving person you could ever meet."

"30,000 Jewels!" Jet shouted before Makarov could continue.

"35,000!" Droy yelled.

"40,000!"

"50,000!"

"60,000!"

…

* * *

From the stage, Levy sighed in annoyance. Of course they would bid for her. She had rejected them both, seeing them as brothers more than anything, but they wouldn't get the hint.

"Don't worry, Levy." Lucy had reassured her before she went up, patting her shoulder. "Neither of them are going to win."

"How do you know?" Levy had asked, confused.

"Well, I may have a partner in crime to make sure a certain thick-headed dragon slayer makes his move…" Lucy said with a wink.

"Lu-chan!" Levy gasped, heart thudding painfully. "You didn't!"

"Didn't what?" Lucy asked innocently.

* * *

"Poor Miss Levy." Pantherlily said from his place beside Gajeel.

"Shrimp can take care of herself." The Iron Dragon Slayer muttered, though he frowned at the girl's team members. The black and silver dress she was wearing had made him bite his lip longingly.

"Yes, but they might try to kiss her on this 'date'." Lily said. Gajeel's eyes flashed.

"Tch. She's rejected them before." He grumbled, clenching his fists uncertainly.

"This is an opportunity for them to convince her to give one of them a chance." Lily mused thoughtfully.

Gajeel growled lowly at that, looking ready to lunge at the pair of idiots, before freezing when Lily tossed a sack towards him.

"The hell…" he muttered, glancing inside.

Jewels. Specifically, Gajeel's savings. They would be more than enough to outbid the less interesting parts of Shadow Gear.

"You little shit!" Gajeel growled, realizing that his cat had been baiting him.

"Doesn't make it any less true." Lily said dismissively, leaning back in his chair.

* * *

"What did you do?!" Levy gasped happily as she went backstage after her turn. 600,000 Jewels!

"I had an ally in Lily." Lucy said, smiling widely. The black Exceed had been more than willing to help her if it meant that Gajeel would get his act together.

"Thank you Lu-chan!" Levy squealed, hugging her friend tightly.

The other girls smiled at them, happy for Levy. That being said, most of them were blindsided when they were presented with the idea that the sweet and petite bookworm liked the rough and impolite dragon slayer.

Mirajane hummed the wedding march to herself happily, imagining black haired children with large hazel eyes.

She might have decided not to interfere with these things (directly at least), but that didn't meant that she couldn't think about it!

* * *

"Mirajane Strauss, our lovely Demon Take Over mage!" Makarov announced, happy that the event was going well so far. It almost made up for the less revealing outfits, though he might still punish whoever had switched them out. "Compassionate and loving, but none the less willing to kick your ass if you threaten the people she cares about!"

The bidding went on for twenty minutes before Freed won for 1,500,000J. He had a substantial amount in his bank account, and seven years of interest helped.

Macao and Wakaba wept.

* * *

"Erza Scarlet!"

Jellal won, though the confrontation between him, Ichiya, and Nichiya would be legendary.

* * *

"Cana Alberona!"

Macao won. They could spend their 'date' drinking like they usually did, and this way Gildarts wouldn't have anyone to kill.

Cana was still intending to blackmail Makarov, though.

* * *

"Asuna Yuki!"

Kirito had learned his lesson, and immediately bid 500,000 Jewels. Other takers were discouraged that he was willing to bid so much from the get go, so they didn't bother, though there was some grumbling.

Apparently Makarov didn't think that having a daughter together counted, since she wasn't theirs by blood, so Asuna was forced into it.

* * *

"Sinon!"

Kirito and the other males who knew her well grimaced sympathetically for the poor sap who had won her. The Guns Mage was well-known for her hatred of most males, though Kirito was an exception.

* * *

"Kozue Orihara!"

Rin did manage to win, but it was harder than he had anticipated, and he had spent much more than he had hoped he would have to. He groaned as he realized that he might have to eat nothing but ramen for the next few months.

* * *

"Juvia Lockser!"

To everyone's surprise, Gray had bid on her, in part because he felt like a jerk for forgetting her birthday. Unfortunately for Juvia, however, he was outbid by Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale.

Needless to say, Gray was not in the best of moods after that.

* * *

"Toph Bei Fong!

She was won by a young man with dark brown hair, gold eyes, and a burn scar on his left eye. He wore clothes a bit similar to Toph's, but in various shades of red.

"Sparky!" Toph shouted excitedly when she heard his voice.

"Hey Toph, long time no see." The boy said with a grin. He had just happened to be on his way for a visit when he heard about the Auction, and figured he might as well get his friend out of it. Not like he didn't have the money.

(Note: This doesn't mean there will be a Toph and Zuko pairing, since she's in the running to be Natsu's love interest, but it might end up that way once that is determined. But I did want to bring him into the story at some point, since they're my favorite characters from The Last Airbender, so here he is.)

* * *

"Evergreen!"

The woman was torn between pleasure and dread when Elfman bid on her, while Mirajane sighed in despair.

* * *

"Raven Roth!"

Out of everyone, the one who won her for a date was the most surprising.

Rogue Cheney, Shadow Dragon Slayer from the Sabertooth guild.

The only thing that kept the Fairy Tail members from attacking him was the fact that he had cried for Minerva to stop when she was torturing Lucy and that he hadn't personally antagonized them.

Nonetheless, that was a tense moment.

Raven herself was fine with the arrangement. She doubted that he would overstep boundaries, and she was curious about his magic. After all, her own also utilized shadows.

* * *

"Ultear Milkovich!"

Gray won that one, unknowingly causing Juvia to burst into tears.

The Time Mage herself sighed, annoyed that she had been brought into the weird love triangle between the two Ice Make mages and the Water user. Well, brought in from Juvia's point of view, at least.

* * *

"Lisanna Strauss!"

Mirajane was horrified when Bickslow outbid the others, winning a date with her sister.

For her part, Lisanna wasn't sure what to think, but she didn't mind getting to know her guild mate better.

* * *

"And last but not least, Lucy Heartfilia!"

Various males around the hall bit their lips, realizing that since they had spent their money already, they couldn't save Lucy from a horrible date with a stranger.

Natsu was about to bid for her, regardless of the fact that it wouldn't actually be a date for them, when one of the most unexpected people spoke up.

"1,000,000 Jewels." Laxus said nonchalantly, ignoring the startled looks from his guild mates.

"Well this is an interesting development." Alzack muttered.

"1,100,000!" another voice spoke up. Sting Eucliffe.

"1,200,000." Laxus countered, narrowing his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue hissed, grabbing his partner's arm.

"I followed you." Sting answered, annoyed. "You were keeping secrets."

"Fro thinks so to." The little green Exceed in the frog suit said happily, reaching up towards her partner, who gathered her into his arms.

"I wonder why." Rogue muttered with a sigh as he noticed that the Fairy Tail males were gearing for a fight, not that he could blame them. "Sting, it would be best if you left."

"Gimme a minute." The blonde muttered back, having an idea. The girl up for grabs was beautiful, but from the few times he had met her, he knew that she wasn't for him. That being said, he could mess with the guy that did want to go on a date with her. "1,300,000!" he shouted.

Rogue sighed, before moving away. Best not to get caught in the crossfire if there ended up being a brawl, and with Fairy Tail's reputation, it was practically guaranteed.

"1,500,000." Laxus glared.

"1,600,000." Sting said with a smirk. Realizing that Sting might be going too far, Lector went to join Rogue and Frosch. While he had every confidence that Sting could beat the other guy in a fight (though no one else would agree with that opinion), they were more or less surrounded by Fairies.

"2 million." Laxus said firmly, standing up as lightning danced around his muscular body.

Sting's eyes widened, realizing that he had bitten off more than he could chew, before he high-tailed it out of there.

Rogue shook his head. He would take the two Exceeds to a local hotel before going on his date with the mysterious beauty that he had been lucky enough to 'win' for the night.

* * *

Lucy stood on the stage in shock as she witnessed the events.

"_Laxus_ bid for me?" she whispered, eyes wide.

"You're rather lucky." Evergreen said, adjusting her glasses. "The weird guy from Blue Pegasus and his cat were about to bid for you. That's why Laxus started so high. He already knew their limit from when they tried to win Erza."

Lucy let out a breath, realizing that she had dodged a bullet. Well, more like Laxus had shielded her from it, but the point still stood.

* * *

**Please Review!**

**AN: Wendy is too young to participate, and obviously so are Asuka and Yui. Bisca's a married mother, Kinana is engaged, and Meredy was left out because Ultear is very threatening and protective, not that Meredy minded. Did I forget anyone?**

**Anyway, yeah. So I've had requests, both in reviews and private messages, for: Ultear and Lyon, Gray and Ultear, Millianna or another Mermaid Heel girl with Natsu, Ur to be brought back to life (which is actually a possibility, since she's technically still alive just in water form), etcetera.**

**Also, for Laxus' exceed, my favorite names that were suggested were Hoshi and Aster, both of which mean Star. To be honest, I like the name Aster more, but I love the idea of her name being a tribute to Lucy, and I've only seen Aster be a boy's name. Anyway, feel free to vote for one of the two names. **


	20. So-Called Dates, Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the characters, etcetera**

**AGAIN, the poll between Laxus and Natsu is OVER! Laxus won. End of story. Sorry. I get it if you just didn't notice the author notes up here and at the end of the chapter, but I made it obvious during Lucy and Natsu's fight that they weren't going to be a thing.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Erik was slightly annoyed. Laki had come to his and Kinana's house with him, and he had been under the impression that the three of them would be going out to do something.

Instead, the two purple-haired girls had ditched him.

He pouted (though if anyone caught him he would deny it vehemently).

He wanted to spend time with his fiancé, damn it! That, and he'd paid for Laki's 'freedom', so why wasn't he allowed to go with them?

* * *

"So…" Lisanna ventured, walking beside Bickslow.

"Yeah…" the Seith mage muttered. "Well, this is awkward."

"Well, we'll just have to work on that, won't we?" Lisanna asked brightly. "Let's see…I've always been kind of curious, do your dolls have names?"

Bickslow grinned. It wasn't often that someone asked about his babies, and the girl didn't seem creeped out by them.

They spent their evening walking around Magnolia. To some, this would seem like a rather boring date, but to the pair who had been gone for seven years, it was interesting to see all of the things that had changed.

When Bickslow took her back to the house that she shared with her siblings, she waved goodbye with a smile. If nothing else, she had made a new friend.

* * *

"So what's new?" Toph asked her best friend, taking a bite of her egg roll. "How's Iroh?"

"Uncle is doing well. He's having the time of his life running the tea shop." Zuko said, rolling his eyes fondly. "Aang is already talking about proposing to Katara."

"Bet that went over well with Sokka." Toph said with a sigh.

The pair had been dating for years, but Aang was still about sixteen. Well, not counting the 100 years literally frozen in time, but that didn't count.

"Yeah, I had to hold him back. He'd already unsheathed his sword and everything." Zuko agreed. "I'm not sure why he's so strung up about it, it's pretty common for a Water tribe girl Katara's age to get engaged."

"Sokka likes to think that Katara relies on him to protect her." Toph theorized, taking a sip of water.

"As if she couldn't destroy him in a fight." Zuko murmured honestly. Katara was a much more dangerous opponent. Granted, that could just be him. After all, she was a water mage, and he was a fire mage.

Toph cackled in agreement.

She might have used to have a crush on Sokka, but that didn't mean that she couldn't laugh at his expense. Her crush had deteriorated after she had noticed how much control he tried to have over Katara's life (not that it worked). She'd had enough of that with her parents, no way would she accept that in a partner.

"Anyway, are you looking forward to the Games?" Zuko asked after a few minutes spent imagining how Katara could kill her brother if he did anything to her boyfriend.

"Oh hell yes!" Toph cheered excitedly, eyes widening. "We have two teams this year."

"Two?" Zuko asked, surprised. "There's no rule against it?"

"Nope." Toph exaggerated the 'p'.

"Take every advantage you can." Zuko nodded, having grown up around politicians. After all, before his father had been overthrown, Zuko was a Crown Prince.

Not that he particularly missed the title.

"Who are the teams?" he ventured.

"Me and the others, as usual, and some of the guys who returned from the island." Toph answered, before bringing up a hand to count her fingers. "There's Natsu for reserve. He's apparently a Fire dragon slayer."

"Dragon slayer?" Zuko asked worriedly, thinking about the two dragons who had gifted him and Aang with insight to how Fire magic worked.

"Don't worry, I doubt he intends to actually kill a dragon." Toph said dismissively. "He was raised by one, though Igneel went missing years ago. That's just what the magic the dragon taught him is called."

"Ah." Zuko said, reassured. Toph wouldn't lie to him about something like that. "What about the others?"

"Hm…well, there's Laxus, Gajeel, and Juvia. Juvia could give Katara a run for her money. She can't heal, but she can turn her body completely into water."

"Useful." Zuko said, eyes wide.

"Seriously. I'd almost like to see her go against you." Toph smirked in his direction. "Anyway, Gajeel is an Iron Dragon Slayer."

"How many dragon slayers are there in your guild?" Zuko interrupted.

"Besides him, three more." Toph said. "Then there are a couple in Sabertooth."

"I remember." He said, having come with the others to see Toph in the Games every year. "The others?"

"Laxus, a second generation Lightning Dragon Slayer." Toph continued. "Erik, or Cobra, is a second gen. Poison Dragon Slayer. And Wendy, who's about 12, is a first generation Sky Dragon Slayer."

"Damn. That's a hell of a lot of power." Zuko's eyes were wide in awe. "What's the difference between first and second generation?"

"Oh, first generation learned their magic directly from the dragons, while the second generation gained their magic via lacrima." Toph explained. "Third generation, like the two from Sabertooth, is a mixture of both."

Toph let Zuko digest that for a minute. She couldn't blame him, she'd been shocked that five out of the seven dragon slayers in Fiore (the known ones anyway) were in the same guild.

"Last are Erza and Mirajane." Toph said between bites. "They went up against each other in an exhibition match, but they were both in the air, so I couldn't see it." She pouted.

"Speaking of, how did your match go?" Zuko wondered. Her answer would determine whether or not Mai (an ex-girlfriend) and Katara owed him money.

"I won." Toph said with a smirk. "After all, I am the greatest—"

"Earthbender in the world." Zuko finished, rolling his eyes. "I know."

'Bending' was the term their group usually called their elemental abilities. Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Of course, they could also do magic relating to their element, like Metalbending, Healing, or redirecting Lightning. And Aang had the whole 'being a bridge between the normal and spirit world' thing. And Aang was able use all four elements, though Zuko, Katara, and Toph were better at theirs than he was.

"Ironically, you've won me enough money to make up for the auction." He said, pleased. Obviously, he would have helped her anyway, but still. "Anyway, want to go play Ding Dong Ditch?"

It was one of the blind girl's favorite past times.

"Sure!" she agreed enthusiastically.

Within a few minutes, they had paid for their meal and were out the door.

Toph almost froze in surprise when Zuko took ahold of her hand.

"What?" he asked, sensing her confusion. "I thought I paid for a date."

Toph stuck her tongue out at him, hearing the teasing tone in his voice.

"I don't put out on the first date." She joked back.

Zuko laughed. "Duly noted."

* * *

**Please review!**

**Note: I've gotten more suggestions for the names. Astraea, Greek goddess of innocence and purity, often associated with the goddesses of justice, Dike and Themis. Selene, one of two Greek goddesses associated with the moon. For that matter, I'll add Artemis, too. Arashi, which means storm, though I like the idea of a name associated with Lucy's magic.**

**Also, in case you guys were wondering, I do have a slight fondness for Toph and Zuko being together. Let me point out that in this story they're about the same age, so they aren't twelve and sixteen, but both sixteen. Nothing major as of yet, but if Toph doesn't end up with Natsu (which I'm guessing she probably won't), who knows?**


	21. Sky Labyrinth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Behold, the beginning of the Grand Magic Games arc! I might put the second dates chapter up later, but I haven't gotten around to writing it yet. Oh well.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

*A few months later after the Fairy Tail guild arrived in Crocus, where the GMG are held.*

The clock struck twelve.

"Attention all contestants competing in this year's Grand Magic Games!" Team A heard. "Good morning!"

Toph cheered, eager for the challenge to begin, before the six of them ran outside.

The mages blinked at the giant projection of a pumpkin.

"To narrow down the 113 guilds to a more manageable 8, let's begin the preliminary round!"

"Seriously?" Gajeel asked, looking annoyed.

"Well this is news." Erza said.

"Has there been a preliminary round in years' past?" Ichiya asked, glass of wine in hand.

"No." Hibiki answered. "This is completely new."

"So this must be the reason we were required to take our places at midnight." Lyon stated.

"113 guilds narrowed down to a meager 8 in one fell swoop." Jura said.

_'This doesn't make sense. Why would they keep this preliminary round a secret till now? Why all these new procedures?'_ Erza wondered with a frown.

"The rules for this preliminary round are simple!" the pumpkin thing announced. "

"What the—" Gray cried in shock as the world started moving around them. Or more specifically, the building.

"What's happening?" Erza asked, grabbing a post to keep her balance.

"Look, the inn is rising up!" Erza shouted.

"The other ones are doing it to!" Mirajane yelled.

"Now you will all be participating in our race! The finish line is at the Domas-Flau coliseum! Only the first eight teams to reach it will fight in the Grand Magic Games!"

"That's a path!" Juvia cried, as a staircase made of wood appeared before Team B.

"I suppose we'll be following it?" Erza asked.

"You're free to use magic in any way you see fit!" the pumpkin continued. "There are no restrictions! But remember, only the first eight teams to reach the finish line will clear this round! However, all five team members must cross the boundary to count!"

Team B (the Tenrou S-Class group) gasped.

"One more thing! We are not responsible for any loss of life that may occur in the labyrinth." The pumpkin said slyly.

"Say what?" Laxus asked.

"So, without further ado, let the Grand Magic Games preliminary round, Sky Labyrinth, begin!"

The contestants all saw a large sphere made up of buildings and staircases.

* * *

When Team A had reached the Sky Labyrinth, Toph took a deep breath, extending her senses. After a long moment, her eyes snapped open as she felt the pumpkin man sit down at the finish line. Considering she could feel him through the earth, she could also feel which route to take to get them there.

"Got it." She announced.

"Then let's go." Raven murmured, levitating higher than the others so they would have a warning of any threats, whether from the other guilds or the labyrinth itself.

* * *

"From the ground, the coliseum was to the east." Erza murmured, pulling out a compass.

* * *

After Team A reached the finish line, they watched the video lacrima of what was still happening in the maze, sweat-dropping as they saw Team B beating up other guilds to acquire their maps.

"Well…whatever works, I guess." Ultear decided.

* * *

The next day…

"Attention everyone, the 8 teams have been determined!" the pumpkin announced.

1st Fairy Tail Team A!

2nd Fairy Tail Team B!

3rd Sabertooth!

4th Raven Tail!

5th Lamia Scale!

6th Blue Pegasus!

7th Mermaid Heel!

8th Quatro Cerberus!

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL!?" the other guilds shouted in shock.

The three judges went on to explain that the council had added the new rule to 'keep the preliminaries' interesting, though apparently no one but Makarov had known about it.

"That's not fair, if you ask me." Jenny Realight, guest judge said with a sniff. "What if one of the events is a battle royale between the guilds? There's nothing to stop Fairy Tail from teaming up."

"Guess that's their reward for being the only guild with two teams." Yajima said with a laugh. "Go Maki!"

Makarov cackled.

* * *

"There a reason you keep gawking?" Gajeel growled as the Sabertooth guild walked out.

"Nothing important." Rogue said dismissively. He glanced at Raven, who nodded in greeting.

* * *

"At least we know who our biggest competition is." Gray said from the stands.

Natsu scowled. "That blondie really rubs me the wrong way…"

* * *

**Please review!**

**I know you guys probably have questions, such as 'where is that mysterious thing' Crime Sorciere was searching for? Well, you'll find out eventually.**


	22. Hidden

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**For those of you who are wondering, I might've skipped the Key of the Starry Heavens arc, but a lot of that still happened. Fairy Tail didn't get their butts kicked quite so thoroughly, though. The Legion Platoon is still going to try and find all of the clock pieces, Lucy remembers who Michelle is, Erigor has his memory back, etc. Of course, since Cobra (Erik) is already in my story, he wasn't a member of the Neo-Oracion Seis, and didn't get sent to prison again.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"All contestants in Hidden are hiding _and _seeking at the same time!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu asked with a scowl, grumpy that he wasn't participating in the event.

"In order to earn points, one player has to land an attack on another. Whether it does any damage, the attacker will win one point, while the…heh…victim loses one point."

Dozens of figures suddenly manifested around the contestants.

"Wait…now what's going on?" Toph asked, eyebrows furrowing. She could hear things being manifested around her, but she couldn't really feel anything…

She had no idea how much of an advantage that was.

"I know they're pretty, folks, but they're not just for show! Attack one of your fake competitors by mistake, and it'll cost you one point! Now, it's time to begin. Some advice: hide in plain sight!"

A gong sounded.

* * *

Toph smirked as she realized what the manifestations were. So she would lose points if she attacked one of them? That shouldn't be a problem. She could tell the clones from her enemies, so she would be able to focus on her actual opponents. All she would have to do is make sure not to hit the clones in the crossfire.

* * *

"Fairy Tail Team A chose the best person possible for this contest." Jura said with a booming laugh.

"No kidding!" Chelia said, admiring. "Any bets for second place?"

"The Sabertooth blondie." Toby called, causing their guild master to hit him repeatedly over the head for 'not supporting Lyon and their guild.'

The Lamia Scale team sweat-dropped.

* * *

Lyon attacked one of Juvia's clones (with a hug of course, not an actual attack), resulting in -1 points.

"What the hell?!" he demanded.

* * *

"You don't really get how this game works, do you?" Nalpudding sneered, walking up towards Juvia.

Juvia attacked him with a water whip, before crying out as a point was deducted and she was transported to another part of the arena.

A few moments later, the Raven Tail mage found her again, but this time, his attack went right through her Water Body, and accidentally hit one of the surrounding clones.

"Fool Juvia once, shame on you." The Rain Woman drawled. "Fool Juvia twice…"

* * *

"This isn't hide and seek, it's just seek." Yeager muttered.

* * *

"What's up with Raven Tail?" Lucy wondered quietly, glancing towards the former dark guild, who were watching the event stoically.

The creepy girl with wide eyes a braided red hair turned towards her. "Don't you know staring is rude, blondie?"

Lucy frowned slightly, before turning back to the lacrima vision.

* * *

Yeager, Beth, Toph, and Lyon were about to come to a head, when Juvia jumped down from the roof, landing on Lyon's head.

"That was so worth it." He muttered in a daze, since he'd seen up her dress as she jumped down.

* * *

Right after Nalpudding tried and failed to land an attack on Juvia and Toph, it started snowing.

"That's got to be Eve." Jenny said knowingly.

"It's a shame that a couple of these mages aren't affected by the cold." Eve said, standing up from his crouch. "But most of them are."

"I see. They're starting to shiver, and you can see the steam from their breath." Ichiya realized.

"But it doesn't work that way for the copies." Ren said with a smirk.

"Pretty smart strategy." Hibiki approved.

"I can see you!" Eve called, before pulling a hand back and letting loose a spell, hitting Nalpudding, Beth, and Yeager.

"Three points for Eve!"

In turn, Eve was hit with a flock of ice birds from Lyon.

"Unfortunately for you I've spent my life training in the cold!"

"Yeah, I kind of figured." Eve said with a pained grin.

* * *

Rufus smirked when he noticed the judges commenting on his lack of participation.

Perhaps it was time to get this over with.

It was dreadfully boring, after all.

* * *

"What's happening?" Erza asked as day turned to night.

* * *

The contestants were suddenly surrounded by light, separating them from their clone counterparts. Rufus let out an attack, which struck all but two…

"What the hell?!" Nalpudding demanded when Rufus disappeared, just as he was about to land a hit. "A clone?!"

"No, that was the memory of my being there. You didn't lose a point." Rufus said with a chuckle. "I find it much more useful than mere clones."

His eyes widened as he was hit from behind.

* * *

"Toph!" Meredy cheered happily, seeing the Earth user appear on the roof only feet from Rufus.

* * *

From elsewhere, Rufus scowled. "It would seem that my memory failed me. I missed a Fairy."

* * *

"Look at that, folks!" one of the judges cheered. "Rufus Lore, previously with zero points, is now in second, with Toph Bei Fong in first! What do you think of that, Yajima?"

"I think not being able to see with your eyes leaves you with a rather unfair advantage!" Yajima said with a laugh, sounding thrilled.

"Not that her blindness seems to be a disadvantage anyway." Jenny muttered petulantly with a sigh.

The Fairy Tail mages laughed at the truthfulness of that statement.

* * *

"Time's up!" the pumpkin cheered.

1st is Toph Bei Fong, with 11 points

2nd is Rufus Lore with 5 points

3rd is Eve Tearm with 3 points

4th is Juvia Lockser with 2 points

5th is Lyon Vastia with 1 point

6th is Nalpudding with 1 point

7th is Yeager with 1 point

8th is Beth Vanderwood with 0!

* * *

"And that, folks, is why Fairy Tail has kept the title of strongest guild in Fiore!" the announcer shouted. "The score from Fairy Tail Team A are equal to the non-Fairy Tail teams combined!"

* * *

Toph held up a fist in victory amidst the cheers of the crowd, her own team cheering especially hard at her landslide victory. For her part, Juvia was pleased at how she had done, but her eyes sought out her beloved Gray-sama, who was arguing with Natsu.

Lucy's heart clenched painfully as she saw the sadness in her friend's eyes. Gray had better give her an answer soon…

* * *

"Next up is the battle portion of the day!" Yajima said.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Confusing? Sorry. Toph had a major advantage because the copies of everyone else didn't have heartbeats, which in Avatar: Last Airbender canon she can feel, so it was fairly easy for her to pick out the contestants from their clones. She used that method to figure out where Rufus was hiding, and his strategy to make people hit the 'memory of him being there' didn't work because she didn't **_**see**_** him there with her eyes, and my theory is that a major component of his memory magic is actual sight.**

**Also, Juvia did better than in canon because for one thing, she had actual time to train for the Games instead of hanging out in the Celestial Spirit world. The second is because Gray wasn't a participant, so she didn't need to worry about hurting him, and she didn't lose that point for her 'bear hug attack.' Oh, and Lyon kept flirting with her, annoying her and making her target him quite a bit. She still got hit a few times though, explaining her lower score.**


	23. Lucy vs Flare Corona

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Flare Corona versus Lucy Heartfilia!" the judge announced amidst cheers.

The two women got into place.

3…

2…

1…

_BRIIIIIIIING!_

Flare immediately launched an attack, sending a Hair Wolf at Lucy.

"Hair magic, huh?" Lucy said to herself, before Cancer's key appeared in her hand.

She didn't even need to speak, and a moment later the Crab spirit stood in front of her, locks of the crimson hair at his feet.

"MY HAIR!" Flare screeched in fury, digging her hair into the ground before it sprang up, wrapping itself around Lucy's legs.

She tried swinging the Celestial Spirit Mage around the arena, but unfortunately for her, Cancer was still out, and immediately let his princess free. Lucy was flung to the wall of the arena, but twisted her body so that she hit it with her feet, launching back towards Flare in a way reminiscent of Natsu.

In another life, Flare would take one of Lucy's guild-mates hostage in order to keep Lucy from fighting back. In another life, Natsu would realize it and burn the hair threatening four year old Asuka. In another life, Lucy would start casting Urano Metria, only for another Raven Tail mage to use nullification magic, causing the spell to fail. In another life, Lucy would be victimized.

This wasn't that life.

Since Lucy had waited for Flare to launch her attack, finding out what magic her opponent wielded, she summoned Cancer from the get-go, giving Flare no opportunity to threaten Lucy's nakama.

The fight ended in short order after that as Cancer shaved the girl's head.

After Lucy's victory was announced, she knelt beside the Raven Tail mage.

"I'm sorry about that. Cancer can grow it all back just like it was, if you'd like him to. It won't take him more than a few moments."

"Ebi." Cancer agreed.

The poor woman looked at them, and was that _fear_ in her eyes? Lucy got a bad feeling about that. Just what had happened to this girl?

After a long moment, Flare nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. About half a minute later, she gasped as she felt her hair hit her shoulders, and immediately sent a bit of magic to them, making sure that cutting her hair hadn't gotten rid of its special properties (like Rapunzel in Tangled).

She sighed in relief when she felt her hair dance around her shoulders.

She looked up at the blonde and crab, before standing up and bowing slightly.

And with that, she walked away.

* * *

"Go momma!" Astoria cheered happily, clapping her gold paws together. Apparently it didn't take very long for exceeds to learn how to talk, though she had an adorable lisp.

Laxus blushed slightly at the implication, but smiled nonetheless, cheering for his girlfriend.

* * *

Later that day…

"YOU!" Ivan snarled, grabbing Flare's face and yanking her towards him.

Flare bit her lip, careful not to cry out. It was always worse when she did that.

"You lost to that Fairy Tail bitch!" Ivan continued, squeezing her face. "Is that girl _better_ than you?!"

"No, master!" Flare begged. "I'll do better next time!"

"See that you do." Ivan said darkly, before tossing the woman away.

Flare tried to hold back tears as her teammates walked away from her without so much as a glance.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Yes, Astoria is the name I chose for Laxus' exceed! I'll add that in during part two of the Dates chapter, I suppose. **

**I always thought that it was stupid of Lucy not to summon Cancer immediately after finding out what Flare's magic is. I mean, seriously? Lucy is supposed to be rather intelligent, but she summons Taurus and Scorpio instead? Flare wasn't threatening Asuka from the get go, so that's no excuse. Yeah, this Lucy is going to choose her spirits more wisely and just be more efficient in general.**

**I have a bit of a soft spot for Flare. She was completely clueless about the world when Ivan found her, and he manipulated and abused her until an innocent girl became what we see in the Games. Her hair is the thing that she loves most (not because she's vain, but for another reason), and Cancer cutting it off really didn't help in their original battle. So, with Lucy making her hair the way it was before their battle, Flare has conflicting feelings about their 'enemy.'**

**Oh! Because Lucy wasn't trapped with the others, her spirits didn't take them to party in the Celestial Spirit world, so that group didn't lose three months of training. Ultear unlocked the Tenrou group's second origin before they started training, and Lucy's had it unlocked for years. They had the chance to get used to it and learn how to control it, so they're stronger than they were in canon because they had both the 'power up' **_**and**_** the actual training. And they aren't in residual pain from Ultear unlocking it because here, she did it months ago.**


	24. Jura vs Jellal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ren Akatsuki vs. Arana Webb

"Go Ren! Win this one for Blue Pegasus!" Jenny shouted. "Sherry's in the stands and she's rooting for you!"

Sherry blushed.

"Huh?" Natsu asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Sherry and Ren are engaged." Meredy explained with a grin. "They're in _love_~!"

Happy cackled, pleased that someone else liked teasing people like he did.

Ren got annoyed at the cat-calling and cheering from the stands, and turned towards Jenny. "HEY!"

At that moment, Arana shot a few spider webs at him. "You left yourself wide open!"

"You've got to pay attention Ren!" Sherry cried, standing up. "Now go out there and kick her butt!"

"What do you think you're doing?" Ooba-sama, the Lamia Scale guild master, scolded. "The last thing we need is one of our own rooting for the enemy!"

"Geez, give the kid a break already old hag, they are engaged after all." A large man from behind her said.

"Shut your mouth!" the old woman screeched.

Ren escaped Arana's hold.

"What the hell are you talking about, we are not engaged!" Ren shouted towards them. "I just can't get rid of her! Get that straight!"

"You're so mean!" Sherry shouted back with a pout.

"Uh, are you sure they're actually engaged?" Gray asked, eyebrows rising.

"They are." Laki confirmed. "He's just keeping up his Trimen image."

"You're always stuck to my side. I can't escape." Ren muttered as he dodged the Mermaid Heel mage's attacks, before he paused with a slight blush. "That being said, when you're not here I don't feel like myself."

Sherry giggled with a matching blush. "That's so sweet of you."

"Told ya!" Meredy cheered, punching Natsu.

"Damn, woman!" Natsu complained teasingly, rubbing his arm.

"Oh, shut up, you big baby!" Meredy said with a laugh.

Arannia launched another attack, but Ren wasn't about to let his fiancé see him lose, so he launched a counter-attack, which hit the green-haired woman, knocking her out.

"Way to go baby!" Sherry cheered.

"And the winner is Ren Akatsuki from Blue Pegasus!"

* * *

Warcry vs. Olga

That wasn't even a real competition. Warcry lost.

Seriously though. Tear magic? And why did Olga have to torture everyone with his 'singing?'

* * *

"Last up is Jellal Fernandes from Fairy Tail Team A against Jura Neekis from Lamia Scale!" the announcer yelled. "We were hoping to have someone from Fairy Tail Team B, but the audience insisted!"

Kagura from Mermaid Heel scowled. She did believe Fairy Tail when they claimed that Jellal had been possessed when her brother Simon died, but that didn't mean that she had to like him.

"I had no idea these two were so popular!" Levy gasped, listening to the cheers for Jura and Jellal, saying that these two were the only reason that some of them had come to the Games.

"Well of course they are." Jet muttered. "Jura is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and Jellal used to be before the Tower of Heaven thing. They're basically on Master Makarov's level."

"Woah." Levy said, wide eyed.

* * *

"Why is he using Mystogan's staves?" Gray asked, utterly confused.

"I'm not sure." Ultear murmured, narrowing her eyes at the blunette as he threw his staves, surrounding Jura before letting loose a 5-layer magic circle. A moment later, Jura's rock fist knocked him out of the sky.

"I should have known I couldn't beat you with someone else's magic." Jellal said quietly, before crouching down to the ground, where a yellow magic circle appeared. "METEOR!"

Jellal's teammates sweat-dropped. Why did he even bother using Mystogan's magic in the first place? It wasn't like he was impersonating his Edolas counterpart, after all.

He started moving at an enhanced speed, running on the arena's walls around Jura, surrounded by a yellow glow.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura called as Jellal was about to hit him.

Jellal dodged the wall, hitting Jura and making the older man stumble, though he didn't fall. Jura grunted in annoyance, separating the wall into large rectangular bricks, sending them after Jellal, who dodged them effortlessly, until...

One of them hit, causing him to fall headfirst to the ground.

Jura smirked.

"Perfect timing." Jellal said smugly.

A pattern of magic circles appeared in the sky.

"Woah! How did they get there?!" Natsu asked.

"He must have drawn them when he was avoiding Jura's attacks." Erza answered.

"May the seven stars bring judgment upon you…" Jellal intoned. "GRAND CHARIOT!"

The magic circles glowed brighter, before thousands of beams of light flew towards Jura.

"Rock Mountain!" Jura called, clapping his hands together. From behind him, a giant figure made of stone burst from the ground.

The beams hit the guardian, and the arena was covered in a huge cloud of dust with random lightning.

"WAH!" Natsu shouted as he was hit with a huge gust of wind.

"Oh my!" Mirajane said with a giggle.

"That is so MANLY!" Elfman cried.

The rest of the audience, including the judges, reacted similarly.

As the dust cleared, the two opponents stared at each other.

Jellal punched the ground, cloak flying wildly behind him.

Meredy, Ultear, and Lucy's eyes widened.

"His most powerful spell…" Lucy gasped.

"True Heavenly Body Magic…" Jellal began. "SEMA!"

The clouds above Jellal started circling him, creating a cyclone. A glowing orb formed at the center, growing, before speeding towards Jura.

"IRON ROCK WALL!" Jura said desperately, but Jellal's attack burst right through it, hitting Jura full on and causing the audience to be blinded.

When the dust cleared (again), the audience saw Jura lying unconscious in a large crater.

"Jellal Fernandez of Fairy Tail Team A wins!" Yajima announced weakly, after sort of getting over his shock.

* * *

Jellal glanced at Erza, smiling a bit as she cheered for him. He'd shown off a bit more than was strictly necessary, but he liked to impress.

Meredy, Lucy, and Toph were cheering loudly, Ultear had a pleased smirk on her face, and Raven was reading an ancient book, levitating, but she had her thumb up in congratulations. Jellal chuckled.

This was his team, his family, and he wouldn't exchange them for anything.

* * *

Meanwhile, two women from Mermaid Heel were a bit disgruntled. Why couldn't Jura have won that match? The sight of a thoroughly beaten Jellal would be appreciated. Regardless of his innocence, their bitter thoughts weren't so easy to forget.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Yeah, I think Jellal would've won if Ultear and Meredy didn't mess up his spell. Did you see the look of apprehension on Jura's face in the enemy when he was casting Sema? Luckily, since he's not an outlaw in this story, they had no reason to sabotage him. Though the method they used to do so was hilarious. Poor Meredy. :)**

**I know I mentioned I might put Jura up against Toph again, but I wanted to have him go up against Jellal. Still, since I'm adding more events to the Games, and there are more days of the Games because of that, that might still happen.**

**POLL! So, as for Natsu's love interest, I want you guys to vote on either Millianna or Meredy. It's going to be one of them, so please don't waste your time voting for Lisanna or anyone else.**


	25. Chariot Race

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Bacchus walked up to Cana while the Fairy Tail members were celebrating their wins.

"Now this looks like a party worth joining!" he said with a smirk.

Cana returned the smirk. "Oh yeah?"

Bacchus slammed a glass of beer on the table. "How 'bout a couple drinks to pass the time?"

"Ah, so we're skipping the introductions and getting right to the fun part." Cana said slyly, standing up. "You got something to prove, do ya?"

"Hey pal, take some free advice and walk away." Macao called, eyes wide.

"Her alcohol tolerance is about as strong as her daddy!" Wakaba agreed.

Twenty minutes later, Cana was lying down on the floor while Bacchus had another drink.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Macao and Wakaba shouted.

Bacchus cackled.

"I don't believe it!" Jet said.

"He literally just drank her under the table!" Laki said, stunned.

"I've never seen Cana drink until she drops before!" Warren finished.

"Thanks for the trophy, hot stuff!" Bacchus stumbled outside of the bar, swinging Cana's top in his hands.

"Do you have a death wish?!" Macao shouted.

"If Gildarts finds out he's gonna be pissed!" Wakaba continued.

Bacchus laughed again, eyes going slightly cross-eyed due to his inebriated state.

When the two men tried to take the blue top from him, the mage stumbled around for a few moments, before using his palms to push the two men into the ground.

"Is he crazy?"

"Get up dad!" Romeo urged.

"Is that you, Bacchus?" Erza asked, surprised.

"Well well, if it isn't Erza Scarlet." Bacchus muttered, getting up.

"Still a drunk." She said with a sigh.

"And if I was sober, you'd still be smoking hot." He commented.

"You sure know how to flatter a girl." Erza said dryly.

"You know him?" Lucy asked curiously, sipping at her milkshake. Usually she'd be drinking with the others, but she might need to fight tomorrow. There was no guarantee that you wouldn't fight two days in a row.

"I heard you'd gone into hiding a while back, it seemed like such a shame." Bacchus commented.

"Something like that. What about you?" Erza asked. "I hear you're actually competing in the Magic Games."

Bacchus laughed again. "At first I saw this little trip as an excuse to get hammered and sample the local color. But after watching Warcry make a fool out of himself _and our guild_ my manly spirit for thirsty for vengeance! So I'm entering the Games as a reserve member and I plan to cause all kinds of trouble. My soul is shaken and stirred! Maybe we'll have our own little party in a battle round. It'd be nice to settle the score. You know what we say in our guild. We will always be-?"

"Wild." Erza said, rolling her eyes.

"At least you're still good for a chuckle Erza!" Bacchus cried.

With that, he walked out.

"Who was that walking distillery?" Gray asked.

"Bacchus, one of Quatro Cerberus' S-Class members." Erza answered, clenching her fist. "We've met on jobs more than a few times over the years. And I know his strength all too well. We've fought on many occasions. There's never been a clear winner."

'What?' everyone wondered, stunned.

* * *

"It's day two of the Grand Magic Games and the stands are exploding with excitement!" the judge cried. "Joining me once again is Yajima and today's guest judge is Jason from Sorcerer's Weekly!"

"So cool!" Jason cried.

"Oh great, that guy?" Gray asked with an annoyed sigh.

"Let's get back to the action already in progress as the mages take on the chariots! The point of this game is to reach the final goal without falling off! Simple, right? WRONG! The chariots are constantly in motion, and though it's at a snail's pace one move could cost you! The goal is to get through a rough and tumble race through Crocus and be the first to reach the finish line! For those of you with us at Domas-Flau, we'll be showing the action via crystal-clear lacrima vision!"

In another life, Natsu would have insisted on being the participant in this event, not realizing that the word 'chariot' really should've been a clue.

Luckily, he was on the reserve team, and because of that, Gajeel (who also would've felt motion sickness for the first time during this event), didn't fight to compete against him.

"Talk about a textbook case of rotten luck." Lector said with a frown. "This event is about Sting's one and only weakness, so the other guilds have no idea how easy they got off."

"Yeah, Sting would rock their face!" Frosch agreed cutely.

"In first place is Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet and Ultear Milkovich! Next is Raven Tail's Black Snake, followed by Ichiya from Blue Pegasus, Yuka from Lamia Scale, and Risley Law from Mermaid Heel!"

"I'm surprised someone of your stature can keep up." Yuka commented.

"Don't underestimate the chubby." Risley warned.

"Coming up behind is Quatro Cerberus' reserve member Bacchus."

"Man, that guy is loud." Bacchus muttered. "Can't they let a guy work off a hangover in peace?"

"Feel my wave boost!" Yuka shouted, knocking Ichiya and Risley back. "Good luck using any magic when you're in my shockwave!"

"Weren't you listening before? Chubby power rules!" Risley cheered, and she was suddenly running on the side of the chariot.

"There it is! Risley's Gravity Change magic!" the judge announced. "She dodged Yuka's wave and is now making her way towards the leaders!"

"Magic Neutralizing Wave, huh?" Ichiya muttered, before sticking two tubes up his nose and using his magic to escape Yuka's assault as well.

Yuka scowled.

"Wow." Bacchus muttered. "They're really going all out, aren't they? Gets my soul all stirred up, ya know? Well, guess I might as well put a little effort in this after all!"

He stomped his foot, causing his chariot and the ones before it to break in half, throwing Risley, Ichiya, and Yuka flying.

"I don't believe it! Bacchus demolished the chariots with brute force!"

"Amazing!" Freed said, stunned.

"See ya later, losers!" Bacchus called, passing the other three. "Try not to fall off!"

Meanwhile, Erza and Ultear were neck and neck. They were trying to knock each other off the chariots, so no one could complain that they weren't trying, but they weren't exactly giving it their all. At this point, one of them would be in first place, and the other in second.

"Hello, ladies!" Bacchus called from a distance after passing the Raven Tail mage, before trying to jump over a few chariots to get to them.

Ultear and Erza both scowled in tandem, before Ultear used her Arc of Time magic to cause the chariots behind them to revert to their natural states.

Meaning a whole bunch of useless wood and metal.

"Useful." Erza commented, before using her cheetah-print Flight Armor, using its enhanced speed to get ahead of Ultear, getting to the finish line in mere moments.

"Thanks." Ultear muttered with a sigh, though she crossed the line shortly after Erza did.

"And Fairy Tail Team B's Erza Scarlet is in first place, while Team A's Ultear Milkovich comes in at a close second!" the judge shouted. "Next we have Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus, Black Snake from Raven Tail, Risley Law from Mermaid Heel, Yuka from Lamia Scale, Ichiya from Blue Pegasus, and Sting Eucliffe coming in at dead last!"

"Honestly, why would a dragon slayer riddled with motion sickness participate in this?" Yajima asked with a sigh, shaking his head.

* * *

**Please review! :)**


	26. Sadism and Arrogance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Warning: sock abuse! Oh, uh, I'm being as detailed as possible with this, and a lot of it happens exactly as it did in the anime, so beware of spoilers!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"It's Black Snake against Toby from Lyon's guild." Erza said.

"You know they're going to try and cheat." Gray muttered with a scowl. Lucy hadn't noticed during their fight, but Yajima had mentioned feeling attempts to sabotage her fight with Flare from Raven Tail.

Lucy glanced towards Flare.

"Yeah, I see you two blondie." Flare said sweetly, staring back at her.

'She's covered in bruises!' Lucy thought, shocked.

"Don't be an embarrassment, Flare." Ivan scolded darkly.

"Y-yes sir! B-but that blonde bimbo won't stop staring at me!" she whined, pointed towards Lucy.

Ivan grabbed her face. "Are you asking for another beating?"

"N-no! I won't argue again!" Flare cried. "Please have mercy on me."

Flare flinched, looking away from the Fairy Tail mages, and Lucy's eyes widened, having seen the whole thing.

There was something very wrong with that guild, even considering it was run by Master Makarov's evil son, Laxus' father.

_No one_ should treat their nakama like that!

* * *

"Mimic Magic! I haven't seen that in a long time!" Mavis said cheerfully, watching the Raven Tail mage.

* * *

"We can clearly see Toby on the ground! Black Snake slides away with a win for Raven Tail!"

* * *

Erza nearly attacked Black Snake when he tore up Toby's treasured sock.

"That was uncalled for!" Evergreen said with a huff.

"He was already beat, that was just mean." Happy agreed.

"Just like Ivan." Macao muttered.

* * *

"Up next, it's the God of Wine, Bacchus, fighting a member of Team Fairy Tail B (AN: I know it was Team A in canon, but they didn't get to fight the first day)!" the judge shouted.

"Someone avenge me!" Cana wailed. "I don't care who it is!"

"And he's up against…the lovely Rain Woman, Juvia Lockser!"

"This should be interesting." Gajeel muttered.

"I hope she'll be okay." Cana said, snapping out of it.

"Don't worry, I doubt anyone else could out-drink you!" Wakaba said with a smirk.

"Shut up!" she roared. "I had already been drinking when he showed up!"

* * *

"Let's make a little wager." Bacchus said with a smirk.

"What?" Juvia asked, blinking.

"You have a thing for that weak Ice mage, right?" Bacchus asked, ignoring Juvia stiffening in anger. "How about, if I win, he gets to be my slave?"

"Not interested." Juvia said firmly, getting into a fighting stance and ignoring the other mage's taunts, just waiting for the gong to ring.

Bacchus scowled, not appreciating being ignored.

* * *

"That was a mistake." Meredy said, almost singing the words.

"What?" Natsu wondered, confused.

"Threatening Gray is the worst thing you can do when going up against Juvia!" she answered with a laugh, before turning a bit sheepish. "I know that from experience. Just look at her!"

Indeed, the beautiful blunette had no expression on her face as she stared straight at Bacchus. She looked more serious and determined than Natsu had even seen her.

Gray and Lyon sighed, one resigned and the other depressed.

* * *

For the first few minutes of the fight, Juvia was on the defensive, but Bacchus made a mistake.

He made comments about all of her friends at Fairy Tail, which only made her angrier.

Suddenly, when he went to land a blow, the attack passed right through her.

"What?!" he gasped, confused.

"Juvia's Water Body is good for neutralizing attacks." She said dully, now purely made out of water.

* * *

"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!" the announcer roared. "Oh my, I haven't seen such a powerful technique from a water mage in…well, ever!"

"That would be because she isn't a water mage." Jason shouted. "She's so cool!"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Juvia Lockser uses Water in its purest form." Yajima explained, seeing that Jason was distracted. "She is rather like Toph Bei Fong in that regard."

Jason nodded in agreement. "I found out when I interviewed her after she joined Fairy Tail."

All around the coliseum, people cried out in shock.

Toph, while not one of the Ten Wizard Saints, was certainly a match for Jura, and to think that there was another Fairy Tail mage with a similar incredibly powerful magic?!

"That's just not fair." Eve said with a laugh.

* * *

Bacchus scowled, before glancing at the gourd full of alcohol that he had left about twenty meters away.

"Let's hope he doesn't reach that." Erza said with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked.

"Bacchus fights better when he's drunk. His moves are more unpredictable, and his body becomes less sensitive to pain. He'll only get stronger if he starts drinking."

"Hear that, Juvia?!" Gray shouted down at the Water user. "Don't let him drink!"

Juvia nodded in acknowledgment. Bacchus had pissed her off enough that she didn't even react to the fact that it was Gray giving her advice.

Not outwardly, at least.

When Bacchus made a move to reach his beer, Juvia trapped him in a Water Lock, the same move she had used years ago when kidnapping Lucy.

Making sure that he couldn't escape, Juvia shot a whip towards Bacchus' guard, slicing it in four, watching as the alcohol spilled onto the dirt.

When she looked back, Bacchus had blacked out from lack of oxygen, so she dissipated the Water Lock, and he fell to the ground.

She stood over him, and manipulated the water out of his lungs and throat, and a moment later he gasped for air.

"Damn it." He groaned, realizing that he had lost.

* * *

"Oh, shoot!" the weird pumpkin thing cried. "Here I was hoping that we'd have a reason for our warning that we wouldn't be responsible for any deaths in the Games!"

"That thing is really sadistic, isn't it?" Lisanna asked as everyone in the audience sweat-dropped.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Anti-climatic? Sorry. Honestly though, Juvia should use Water Lock more often. I was considering having her mix his alcohol mix the water to let him try and drink it in its diluted form to get stronger, but…that might have been a bit much.**


	27. Bonus Scenes Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the books/shows/movies/whatever the XOVER characters come from.**

**So, I realized that I didn't necessarily need to re-write these last few chapters, and chose to just write a few 'bonus' chapters showing what some of the other characters are doing while all of this is going on. I did still add a little bit to those chapters, though.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Yukino's eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of her idol, Lucy Heartfilia, during registration.

The girl was beautiful, of course, but what drew Yukino to admire her was the love and respect that she had for her spirits. Since the incident with Zentopia where over a hundred Celestial Spirit mages lost their magic, they may very well be the last ones left, and it was heartening to know that she had the same mindset as Yukino herself.

As she watched the blonde's battle with the redhead from Raven Tail, she found herself curious. Cancer was one of the least combat-oriented Zodiac spirits, yet he was all Lucy needed to secure her victory. What could the girl do when she was actually trying?

She hoped that she would have the opportunity to speak with the older girl at some point, but with the heavy rivalry between their guilds, she knew that such a meeting probably wouldn't be a nice one.

Why, oh why did she choose Sabertooth instead of Fairy Tail?

* * *

"TOPH!"

Toph turned towards the voice, dodging the attempted glomp. In doing so, she ended up closer to Zuko, who hugged her instead. The gold eyed fire user stuck his tongue out at the pouting air user.

"Hey Sparky. Twinkletoes." She greeted with a smirk, recognizing Aang from his light-footedness.

"Toph, I'm technically 116 years old, can you _please_ stop calling me that?" Aang asked with a sigh.

"Not a chance." Toph refused, before turning towards the rest of the group. "What's up, guys?"

"We came to support you in the Games, of course!" Suki said, hugging Toph briefly. "Nice job on that weird hide and seek game."

Thanks." Toph said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Soph crowed. "That blonde guy with the weird hat totally had it coming."

"The guy made a comment about Sokka's boomerang." Katara explained to her friend quietly. "You know how good he is at holding a grudge."

"I am not!" Sokka protested weakly.

Toph snorted in amusement, before the gang went to dinner to catch up.

* * *

Kirito scowled at the boys clamoring up to flirt with his girlfriend. Asuna glanced at him sympathetically (after all, girls flirted with him all the time), and was about to tell them off when Yui stepped in front of them defensively.

"Leave my momma alone!" she said fiercely, though really, she just looked more adorable.

Still, the mention that Asuna was a mother managed to make them go away without a fight, though a few were grumbling in disappointment.

Once they were alone, Kirito grinned, picking up his daughter and putting her on his shoulders for a piggy-back ride. "Good job, kiddo. Ice cream?"

"Yay!" Yui cheered happily.

Asuna smiled as Kirito took her hand before they headed to the nearest ice cream parlor.

* * *

Yukio Okumura frowned as he caught sight of his twin brother opposite of where he was sitting in the stands. He hadn't seen Rin since he'd narrowly escaped the exorcists' attempt to kill him. Not that he resented his brother for it, per say, but he did have mixed feelings about it. It didn't help that he'd been trained from a young age to kill demons, and his twin qualified. Yukio himself had been lucky enough to be too weak in the womb for his demonic heritage to take hold.

'Or are you just a late bloomer?' his inner voice asked slyly. Yukio's heart clenched, remembering the odd rashes he'd been finding all over his body lately.

Maybe it was time to give in and join his brother, far away from the Order's influence…

* * *

"Come on, Jack, focus." Ryder said with a sigh.

"I can focus and have fun at the same time." Jack muttered, pouting a bit.

Ryder rolled his eyes.

Jellal had asked the two of them to scout out the games this year, because him and the rest of Team Crime Sorciere wouldn't have the opportunity, since they were participating in the games themselves.

They had noticed a strange magical presence during the games for the last seven years, and originally they had associated it with Zeref, though Lucy wasn't entirely convinced of that. Regardless, they had been unable to figure out what it was.

That's where Ryder and Jack came in. Ryder and Toothless were good for stealth during the nighttime, and Jack, being able to turn invisible to people he didn't want to see him, was a very good 'spy' during the daytime.

It was during Ryder's shift that Toothless sensed that weird familiar thing from Raven Tail about to attack Wendy and Carla. They chased it off, without the two young females realizing that they had even been in danger in the first place, before escorting them home safely.

"I don't feel anything." Jack mentioned after another half hour.

* * *

From one of the entrances to the arena, a blonde girl about twenty years old watched the man calmly flying around on his dragon in shock.

Was that _Hiccup_?! He had certainly changed, no longer the scrawny and harmless weakling but a rather handsome young man decked out in leather armor.

She was almost hesitant to believe that it was him, but there was no mistaking that Night Fury.

Her eyes narrowed as she left. Chief Stoick would want to know that his son (and the DRAGON!) were still alive.

Of course, she didn't notice that Hiccup and the beast weren't alone. She would soon discover just how many powerful allies the young man had.

* * *

**Please review!**

**I know the thing didn't really have too much reason to attack Wendy, since she isn't participating in the Games like in canon, but attacking a twelve year old Dragon Slayer and a cat who can see the future, draining their magic and knocking them unconscious without them even seeing it coming, would still be a good scare tactic.**

**Yes, that blonde girl was Astrid. I'd been planning for there to be a conflict between the Vikings and Fairy Tail, but had forgotten about it. Especially considering a certain thing that happens during the Grand Magic Games…involving the Vikings' sworn enemies…**

**By the way, are any of you guys familiar with Ouran High School Host Club? I posted the first chapter of a crossover where the characters from that are mages in the Blue Pegasus guild, because I thought that it would be hilarious. Anyway, check it out!**


	28. Guild Loyalty Test Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, any of the characters, etc.**

**Note: this is one of the Games' events that I made up, it's not canon.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Raven watched nervously as Lucy was prepped for the next event.

Mato had announced that one member of each team would be tested on their loyalty to their guild. Team A had chosen Lucy, who had been in Fairy Tail the longest, and who was known for always having the guild's best interests at heart.

Then they had learned _how_ the mages were being tested, and a majority of the mages participating were horrified. Only Raven Tail and a few Sabertooth members didn't seem to care.

A simulation.

The person would be injected with a magical serum to pull them deep into their mind, and everything that happened in the induced illusion would feel _very_ real to them. They wouldn't remember that they were being tested, either.

Considering Mato was known to be a bit sadistic, none of Fairy Tail was looking forward to this.

Nonetheless, Lucy and Juvia (for Team B) had already been chosen, and the two girls refused to back down.

* * *

Juvia cried out in fury as she saw her friends being tortured by faceless creatures made from shadows. Was Mas-_former_ Master Jose trying to destroy Fairy Tail again?

She struggled against the thick chains binding her, trying to use her Water Body to get out of it, but that didn't work. Eventually, she had almost freed herself, and only had the handcuffs left.

Juvia took a few deep breaths before forcing her hands out, one after the other, breaking both of her thumbs in the process.

Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she discovered that her magic was working again. They must have been magic-suppression handcuffs like the ones the Rune Knights used.

She shook off the pain, focusing on her friends' agonized faces. Quickly creating a water whip, she sliced through the shadows, but more and more of them kept forming.

Juvia wondered solemnly if this was the price she had to pay for participating in the war on Fairy Tail when she was in Phantom Lord: living through what they had to live through.

* * *

Gajeel smirked as he watched the screen displaying Juvia's 'simulation', hiding his worry. Juvia was kind of fragile mentally, and he hoped that this wouldn't break her.

Then he scoffed, realizing that he wasn't giving her enough credit. There was a _reason_ that she had been an S-Class mage, and had been chosen for the Games. She could handle it.

* * *

Juvia was losing her patience. From her previous experience with Jose's shades, she knew that these horrid beasts could not be reasoned with, so she didn't bother wasting her breath.

At some point, the shades had started to converge on her, though a few of them continued tormenting her friends. The victims' appearances kept changing. First Cana and Lucy, then Lisanna, Wendy, Levy, Gajeel, Natsu, Erza, Mirajane, Bisca, Alzack…

When Gray appeared, she fought with a renewed vigor, regaining the mannerisms from when she was in Phantom Lord, but it was when the shades moved towards the younger kids-Yui and Asuka, that she snapped.

She eventually overwhelmed the shades, and collapsed face-forward on the ground, shuddering as she took stock of her injuries. Besides the broken thumbs, she was covered in cuts, bruises, and blood. One of her ribs was broken, puncturing her lung, and she was gasping for breath.

However, she ignored her injuries. Juvia's special people were still chained up.

Five minutes later, the two young girls were free. Juvia was about to ensure that they were alright, but before she could do anything, her vision faded to black, and she knew no more.

* * *

Juvia gasped, sitting up in the infirmary bed, where the chosen mages had been given the serum. She felt the beginnings of a panic attack, but remembered what had just happened, and swallowed. Working on slowing her breathing for a few minutes, she looked up towards the other beds.

"Hey, Juvia." A voice said, and she saw some of her guild mates at the door. Gray was the one who had spoken.

"Are you okay?" Cana asked worriedly. The two had become friends after being trapped in Freed's runes during the Thunder Palace debacle.

"Juvia is not exactly okay, but she will be." Juvia admitted. "Is Love-um, Lucy-chan alright?" She was still getting used to the idea that Lucy really didn't have any intentions to get with Gray, but she was trying.

"We don't know." The Card Mage answered. "They're doing it one at a time. You went first. Hibiki is up next, and then Lucy. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes at the most."

With an aggravated sigh, Porlyusica (who Juvia hadn't noticed was present) snapped at them to be quiet so she could check on Juvia, muttering all the while about the effects that unknown substances could have on a person and cursing the judges for not allowing her to analyze the serum first.

Cana's prediction came true (not a surprise, considering her magic involved Tarot cards), and it was eight minutes later that the screen in the room brightened.

"Good luck, Luce." Gray muttered.

Juvia would have been put out, but after experiencing just what the serum did, she could only agree.

* * *

**Please review! **

**For those of you who are wondering, yes, I did get the simulation idea for this one from the Divergent trilogy. Lucy's up next!**


	29. Guild Loyalty Test Part 2

**Disclaimer: I own neither Fairy Tail nor any of the characters.**

**Warning: psychological torture, etc. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy shot up with a gasp, noticing absentmindedly that she was in the middle of a forest, sitting on the ground.

'Where am I?' she wondered, eyebrows furrowing.

She slowly stood up, taking stock of her surroundings and listening carefully for an enemies. After all, she had no idea what kind of situation she had found herself in this time.

Hearing nothing, she sighed, taking out Pyxis' key. The compass would hopefully be able to lead her out of this forest, and she could figure out what was going on.

However, before she could call for the spirit, she heard a strangled scream coming from in front of her.

Immediately, she started running as quickly as she could in the direction of the scream. It sounded a bit familiar, but she couldn't quite place it…

* * *

'Good job, Miss Heartfilia.' Yama, one of the judges for the Games, thought with a smile. 'Running towards the scream (and possible danger) instead of running away trying to save your own skin…'

* * *

Lucy burst into a clearing, only to find a faceless mannequin hanging from one of the trees. Her eyes widened when she noticed the black Fairy Tail emblem stamped on its chest.

Without a word, she Requipped her Fleuve d' Toiles and her Capricorn key. He was the fastest of her spirits, and if someone was in trouble, she needed him to get that person away quickly.

A moment later, she heard a twig snap behind her, and immediately spun around, launching an attack with her whip and summoning Capricorn as she jumped from the spot where she had been standing. It wouldn't be the first time someone launched a surprise attack.

Lucy's eyes widened as she noticed that her summoning had failed.

"Your spirits are unable to help you…" a raspy voice whispered, seeming to come from all around her. "In fact…"

She heard what sounded like someone snapping their fingers, before her whip and key disappeared. She tried using her Requip magic to get them back, but wasn't able to.

"You blocked my magic!" she said, horrified.

All those years, training to the breaking point and even having to go to the hospital from straining herself too hard, only for her magic to be useless when she needed it most.

"Oh yes." The voice answered giddily. "It's more fun that way, you see."

A figure suddenly appeared in front of her. It was tall, at least seven feet, and was completely black. Was it made from shadows?

"My name is Phobos." The figure announced, before Lucy saw another figure in her peripheral vision. It was exactly the same as the first.

"And I am Deimos." The second shadow finished, before the two converged on her.

* * *

"Phobos and Deimos!" Raven hissed furiously, ignoring the light lacrima (lightbulb) that shattered. Stupid emotion-fueled powers…

"What's wrong?" Erza asked nervously.

"They're the Greek gods of panic and terror." Levy whispered, chalk white.

"But…they aren't real." Romeo said. "Not as far as I know, anyway."

"That does not matter." Juvia said, appearing in the doorway. She was still mentally and emotionally weak from her own test, but she couldn't stand the infirmary. The others who had been with her were right behind the Rain Woman. "The serum is limited only by her imagination."

"Shit." Natsu muttered.

If there was one thing that Lucy had plenty of (besides intelligence), it was imagination. She was an author, after all.

* * *

Lucy dodged, weaving in and out of the trees as the two figures tried to capture her.

"ENOUGH!" one of them hissed, and Lucy found herself paralyzed. Seconds later, she found herself bound in tubes, kind of like the ones Millianna used.

Not that the magic-nullifying aspect of the tubes mattered, considering the monsters had already taken hers away.

"Let the fun begin." The other hissed.

* * *

Lucy grunted as she was thrown rather painfully into a tree, before the tubes moved to tie her to it.

"We're going to play a game." Deimos murmured. "That dummy is going to turn into one of your little _friends._" he spat out the word as if it disgusted him.

"We are going to torture you." Phobos continued. "If you scream or cry out, we will inflict the pain on your guild mate in your place."

* * *

"NO!" Natsu shouted, horrified.

"You can't die in this, right?" Gajeel asked seriously, and looking worried.

"I sincerely hope not." Jellal muttered, pale as a ghost.

"What?!" Laxus growled, panicking at their commentary.

"When Phantom Lord attacked, I was tasked with keeping her captive until we could take her to her old man." Gajeel answered, gripping the ledge painfully. "I wanted to have some _fun_ (here he sneered in self-disgust at the word) and decided to rough her up a bit. She wouldn't make a sound, and it pissed me off, so I tried harder to break her. It didn't work, but she ended up worse off than she would have been otherwise."

Laxus had to work hard to control his fury that the Iron Dragon Slayer had dared to hurt his girlfriend, even if it was in the past and the two were sort of friends now.

* * *

The two systematically tortured the Celestial Spirit mage, attacking her physically and magically as the dummy cycled through her friends' appearances. Her spirits, and then the older crowd in Fairy Tail before going through the younger kids: Romeo, Asuka, Wendy, Yui, Happy, Carla, baby Astoria…

Of course, that made her more determined.

She didn't make a sound throughout the entire thing, eyes glazed over as she blocked out the taunts and tried to stay conscious.

Who knew what these bastards would do to her nakama if they no longer had her to torment?

* * *

"Final round!" Phobos cheered. "You die!"

Lucy cringed weakly, barely able to move from the beating she had endured.

She was covered in injuries. Second and third degree burns littered her body, while long gashes caused by a whip littered her back (they had released her from the tree so that she was on the ground), deep enough that the bone was showing. The small patches of her skin that weren't burned and blistered were covered in bruises. Her left eye was swollen shut, and her nose was broken and bloody from when she fell to the ground.

"And the best part is that Fairy Tail will die with you!" Deimos hissed sadistically. "A magical guild is so thoroughly connected, it's rather easy to use Maguilty Sense to our advantage!"

* * *

Meredy cried out, horrified. Not that she hadn't already been sobbing (that kind of deep sobbing where you could hardly breathe) at the state her friend was in.

That was her magic, and they were _sullying _it!

It was bad enough that she had tried doing something similar to Gray and Juvia in the past, but to see someone doing it with the sole intention of tormenting one of her closest friends was heartbreaking.

* * *

"Fairy Tail is what you always wanted!" Deimos shouted.

"People who care about you! Who won't use you like your father did!" Phobos growled.

"People who will go to the end of the earth for you, like you would for them." Deimos finished.

"DO SOMETHING!" the pair roared.

Lucy screamed, clutching her head, before putting her hand on her guild mark and wiping it away.

The shadow figures were satisfied.

"Congratulations. Your _friends_ will live to see another day." Phobos said emotionlessly. "However, we cannot say the same for you."

From behind him, a great roar sounded, one that Lucy had heard once before…

Lucy glanced at the mannequin to see that it had disappeared, and her last thought was that her friends were safe.

The world faded to black.

* * *

Back in the real world, almost every single person in the audience was stiff and pale, if not crying. The kids, especially, were wailing.

Fairy Tail was, of course, effected the most. To see the extent that one of their own would go to in order to protect them was staggering.

They all knew that they would die for each other, but actually seeing it was something else entirely.

* * *

No one was at all surprised when Lucy scored first place.

Later on, once she was brought back into consciousness, it was determined that her wiping off her guild emblem in the simulation hadn't happened in real life as well.

Of course, that was hardly important. Makarov could've immediately replaced it.

No, the problem was that Lucy had just been through one of the worst experiences of her life, and was in an extraordinary amount of pain. Her injuries might not have been physical, but like Juvia, the phantom pain lingered.

She spent the better part of two days in bed, under the care of Wendy, Porlyusica, and Chelia, a young girl from Lamia Scale who had offered her assistance after watching Lucy's simulation.

After all, Chelia valued love over anything, and the blonde celestial wizard had more than proven herself.

Obviously, Lucy was rather traumatized by the experience, and spent the nights cuddled up in a pile with her favorite people. Astoria offered her constant company, as did Laxus unless he was called to participate in an event.

Once the contestants had all completed their simulations, a majority of the guilds participating, as well as every single person in the crowd, would call for the serum to be illegalized. The king would have no choice to comply.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Sorry, I couldn't just skip the pain Lucy went through after her fight with Flare, so she's feeling it here, though more intense. The guild is the most important thing in the world to her, the family that she'd been missing since her mother died, so I figure being put into a situation where she left the guild, in her mind leaving her family behind, would be a good substitute. I feel horrible about it, though. **

**I was going to have her magic kind of 'explode' in the real world in response to what was happening in the simulation, but realized that I put them all in the infirmary and it would probably kill everyone.**


	30. Pandemonium and the MPF

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters from other series.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Next up in Pandemonium!" the strange pumpkin cheered, as a huge arena sort of like the Sky Labyrinth appeared in the sky.

The pumpkin explained to the chosen contestants that there were 100 monsters hidden in there, and that they could choose how many they wanted to face, earning points, and that they would each get multiple turns to do so until all of the monsters were defeated.

Of course, even the best of plans could go awry.

"I choose to face all one hundred monsters!" Erza declared, determined. She had been chosen to go first.

Everyone in the stadium froze, except Natsu.

"Haha!" he laughed, clutching at his stomach. "That's Erza for you!"

"Um…Miss Scarlet—" the pumpkin began.

"I believe it is my right to choose." Erza said blankly.

The pumpkin backed up at the terrifying look on her face.

"Wow." Hibiki said with a whistle, shaking his head. "I didn't expect that."

* * *

The following battle stunned everyone in the arena.

Titania tore through the first monsters like they were nothing, taking them all out in one hit using her Heaven's Wheel armor. It was when she got to the higher level monsters that she started getting hurt, but she fought through it valiantly.

"Can she do it?" Gray asked interestedly.

"Of course she can, it's Erza!" Natsu replied with an excited grin. "If anyone can do it, it's her!"

Sure enough, the redhead defeated all of the monsters but two.

"WHAT?!" Natsu cried out, realizing that the S-Class monster was that weird eyeball thing, not the large, scarier looking monster.

"Just as I thought." Erza murmured, before requipping another outfit and charging.

Eventually, she managed to kill it, though she ended up taking more hits.

* * *

"E-Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail Team B wins first place!" the judge shouted in awe.

Erza hopped down from the mini-arena, standing up and holding up her katana in victory.

"That girl is something else." Meredy said, shaking her head as Jellal looked on proudly.

"But what are we going to do?" the Quatro Puppy contestant asked.

* * *

"This is a Magic Power Finder, or MPF!" the pumpkin explained as a large device with a blue lacrima was brought out. "You hit it with your magic power, and it'll give you a store."

He demonstrated how it worked.

One by one, the participants took their turns. Hibiki and the weird guy from Raven Tail scored low, while Olga and Jura scored in the thousands. Millianna and Eve got pretty good scores (who knew Even had been a Rune Knight at one point?), and the others did okay.

Now it was Raven's turn.

She looked calm, and almost _bored_, as she walked towards the lacrima gracefully.

A moment later, she murmured something that he wouldn't have heard if it wasn't for his enhanced hearing. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Suddenly, a huge black thing in the form of a raven (ironically) sprang up from her body. The thing had four glowing red eyes, but other than that, it was made entirely of shadows.

"_Necronom Hezberek Mortix_!" she shouted suddenly, opening her now completely white (glowing) eyes.

The raven shot towards the lacrima, and when it impacted, the MPF was engulfed in black energy, trying to register the power as quickly as possible, before it exploded, shards falling everywhere around the contestants, most of whom were frozen in horrified awe.

Raven merely blinked, before pulling up her legs into her meditation pose (levitating, obviously) to wait to be dismissed. She didn't even look fatigued!

Normally, Raven's attacks weren't _that_ powerful. Luckily for her, she was absolutely furious (even if internally) about what Lucy and her other teammate had been forced to endure, and as her abilities were powered by her emotions...

"Oh my!" Mato, the pumpkin, cried out, eyes wide. "That was unexpected! The MPF overloaded! I've never seen that happen before! Second place to Raven Roth's Fairy Tail Team A!"

Fairy Tail Team A cheered, unsurprised.

Raven was literally a (half) demon princess, and that was her most powerful spell. What did they expect?

The rest of Fairy Tail, most of whom didn't spend much time around the quiet girl, were stunned, before cheering just as loudly.

The other guilds groaned.

It just wasn't fair!

What was it about Fairy Tail that attracted powerhouses?! Gildarts Clive, Erza Scarlet, Mira Strauss, _two_ former wizard saints (Jellal and Ultear, not that most knew about her history), four dragon slayers, two elemental mages (Toph and Juvia), two half-demons (Raven and Rin)…

The list went on and on.

* * *

"That was rather impressive, Scarlet." Jellal said in greeting.

Erza glanced towards her almost-boyfriend, who was leaning on a building casually. "Your performance in the Games hasn't been too bad, either."

"Ah, Erza, you wound me." Jellal said with a laugh. "Have a little faith."

"That was a compliment." Erza said, eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion.

Jellal gazed at her fondly.

* * *

**Please review!**

**And yes, I'm aware that the events aren't really in order. Oh well.**

**Lucy will be in the next chapter, don't worry. At the moment Porlyusica is keeping watch of her (and Juvia, who she dragged back after Lucy's test) in the infirmary.**


	31. Jenny vs Mirajane

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Fairy Tail, not any other series…NOTHING.**

**Warning: an old woman dressing and acting way too young to be appropriate.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Next up is Mirajane Strauss from Fairy Tail Team B versus Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus!"

* * *

"This should be interesting."

"No way is Realight going to win." Gray said skeptically.

"My sis is a real man!" Elfman cried.

Toph smirked darkly. The bubbleheaded blonde was always taunting her about her appearance. Not that Toph really cared, but it was annoying.

* * *

"Let's make a bet!" Jenny suggested with a smile. "How about the loser takes a nude photoshoot for the next issue of Sorcerer's Weekly?"

* * *

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "But…they decided to do a _modeling _contest instead of fighting."

'_I spoke with the judges, and younger women are more popular with their readers. I might've been a few years younger than Mirajane, but I'm not anymore! They'll choose me as a winner so that they can have her nude photos in the magazine to get more sales!' _Jenny thought deviously.

* * *

What Jenny didn't count on was almost every female mage participating in the games (as well as others who weren't participating) jumping down into the arena and doing their own modeling poses as a show of solidarity.

The game-makers made an event of it, and all of them were suddenly in bathing suits, and dominatrix gear, and…

* * *

"The next theme is 'Wedding Dress'!" the judge announced. "Prepare a partner, then get into bridal gear!"

The males from the guilds were forced into the arena.

"I'm sorry for suddenly dragging you into this, Master." Mirajane said sweetly, already dressed in a beautiful wedding gown.

"This is all part of the job of being Master…" he said gravely, wearing a tuxedo.

* * *

"Well, you were at hand." Jenny teased her boyfriend with a smile, enjoying his hand around her waist.

"That's actually even more of a turn on." Hibiki teased back.

* * *

"I'm Levy's groom!" Droy shouted, punching Jet in the face. "She already rejected you!"

"It's the same with you!" Jet yelled back returning the blow.

Levy wasn't paying much attention to her silly teammates. Instead, her attention was on Gajeel, who looked rather handsome in his tux, though he wasn't facing her and was lying on the ground. When Lily asked what he was doing, Gajeel replied that he was better off not participating.

Levy sighed. They weren't exactly together (even if she wanted to be), so she didn't have much room to complain.

Jet and Droy cried out sadly when they noticed that she didn't want either of them to be her partner.

* * *

"Gajeel, do you really want Levy to be stuck with one of those two?" Lily asked, annoyed. He would've gone further, using a few curse words, but his own partners for the event were the adorable four year-old Asuka, who was in a pink ruffled dress, and his fellow yellow (AN: yes, I did that on purpose) exceed, Astoria.

Gajeel stiffened, before getting up with a sigh.

Levy squeaked in shock when she was suddenly lifted from behind. After a moment, she found herself in a fireman's hold over his shoulder.

"Gajeel-kun!" she gasped, steadily growing red in the face. "What are you doing?!"

"Couldn't put you on my shoulders the right way, you're wearing a dress." He muttered.

"And this is BETTER?!" Levy screeched, disbelieving.

* * *

"You guys aren't going out there?" Romeo asked a group of men hiding in the stands. His father Macao, Wakaba, Max, Nab, and Reedus.

"No. If something should happen…" Macao answered.

"If my wife happened to see me…" Wakaba muttered, seeming terrified at the prospect.

Romeo sighed, before going to find Wendy. If Carla and Happy paired together because they were both Exceeds, then his crush wouldn't be too obvious since he was the only one who was Wendy's age, right?

* * *

"Juvia, I'm the only one for you!" Lyon declared, sweeping the blue-haired girl into his arms.

"Lyon-sama!" Juvia gasped. "But Juvia is—"

Before she could finish, Gray came out of nowhere, launching a flying kick at his rival, knocking him away and catching Juvia in his arms.

"It's no fun letting a teammate get snatched by a jerk from another guild." Gray muttered petulantly.

"Juvia is so happy!" Juvia cheered, before throwing her arms around her beloved Gray, knocking them both down.

* * *

"Our love is so steadfast!" Sherry said to her fiancé dreamily.

"Don't be so clingy!" Ren chastised, ever the tsundere. "You'll make me fall in love with you even more…"

* * *

Lucy giggled at the scene in front of her.

"Let's see…" she wondered aloud. "Who should I—"

She was suddenly picked up, and she glanced behind her to see Loke, of all people, dressed in a white tuxedo.

"Let's take this opportunity and really get married!" he suggested.

Lucy sighed, hitting him upside the head. "Stop fooling around, Loke. Go back to Aries."

The lion zodiac spirit laughed and set her down before he followed her order.

"Need a partner, Blondie?" a voice called from behind, and she turned to see Laxus dressed in white.

"Alas, to be stuck with a person so hypocritical that he conveniently forgets his own hair color when greeting me." Lucy said dramatically before smiling at him. "Sure, Laxus. You look nice."

"So do you." He muttered awkwardly.

Well, he certainly wasn't lying. She looked exquisite in a pure white dress, reminiscent (though he wasn't aware of it) of the gowns she used to wear when she was still the Heartfilia heiress. She wore a simple white gold heart necklace with a matching tiara set in her bun.

Lucy smiled at him happily, taking his hand before turning her attention back towards the utter chaos around her.

Rin and Kozue were twirling around happily with large smiles on their faces. Alzack held Bisca in his arms as they watched their daughter playing with the two exceeds happily. Evergreen was beating Elfman into submission with her fan, while Lisanna and Bickslow were teasing them and Freed was shaking his head in resignation. Cana was challenging Bacchus to another drinking contest, with Macao, Wakaba, and Quatro Puppy cheering them on. Asuna and Kirito just hung around, chatting with Sinon, and Yui was on Kirito's shoulders. Toph was hanging around, cackling in delight as she tripped people with her Earth abilities...

* * *

Rogue frowned thoughtfully. He would've gone down to keep Raven company, but he doubted Master Jiemma would've allowed such a thing, if the way he was scowling was any indication.

He glanced at his teammates. Sting had turned away, but Yukino was staring at the group down below wistfully.

Well, at least he wasn't the only one.

* * *

The girls' fun was over when the Lamia Scale guild master, a short old woman, decided to 'show them what a real woman looked like', and ruined it for everyone.

"AND THE WEDDING SHOWDOWN IS OVER!" the same judge announced, a bit late.

"What was the point of that?" Laxus muttered, slightly annoyed. "They didn't even have us do anything."

"No idea…" Lucy whispered back, before blinking in surprise as she found herself in her normal outfit.

* * *

"Oh well!" Mirajane said with a giggle. "That was fun, but apparently the show is over. I guess we'll just have to fight to determine a winner. I don't like fighting, but I'll make an exception."

Jenny's eyes widened, before she quickly composed herself.

"Fine then." With that, she used her own transformation magic, and was suddenly in a pink/purple mecha suit.

In response, Mira turned into one of her Satan Souls. Horns, flames, and everything.

Feeling the pure magical power emanating from the other model, Jenny collapsed, pale, non-verbally surrendering.

'_NO!' _Jenny wailed internally, realizing that she would have to follow through on their deal and pose nude.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Not sure if I should make Raven and Rogue a thing. Maybe. They are pretty similar. And it would be more interesting later when a certain person shows up (a guy with long black and white hair, perhaps).**


	32. Great, Now It's Vikings?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, HTTYD, RotG, or any of the other series/characters in this story.**

**Warning: mentions of slash, clueless Vikings blindly attacking people, magic-haters, etc.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

'_Where are Meredy and Ultear?'_ Kozue wondered curiously as the wedding theme event ended.

"I don't know." Rin answered, looking around. "I haven't seen them for a while."

With that, they decided to go search for the two girls, only to find Ultear tickling the pinkette, who was laughing uproariously.

"Uh…hey." Rin said awkwardly. "What's going on?"

"I wasn't about to let Meredy participate in that farce!" Ultear answered, gasping as she tried to keep a grip on her 'adopted daughter'.

"So she decided the best way to stop me would be to do this!" Meredy nearly screamed.

"It's over." Rin said. Ultear paused.

"Oh." Was all she said.

'Thank you!' Meredy mouthed to the pair.

* * *

When Ryder came to, he gasped, sitting up immediately.

The last thing he remembered was patrolling the skies, before it all went black.

"Ry, you're awake!" Jack said, relief obvious in his face.

"What happened?" Ryder asked, rubbing a hand over his face. "W-where are we?"

"I don't know." Jack answered, obviously distressed. "We were patrolling last night, and a large dragon appeared out of nowhere—it had a rider, too."

"Another dragon rider?" the green-eyed young man asked in surprise.

And here he thought he was the only one 'crazy' enough.

"Yeah. And…well…"

"What happened to Toothless?" Ryder gasped, suddenly more awake as he glanced hopefully around the cave they were in. "Where is he?"

Jack looked away. "Not here. We were both knocked out, and I didn't see what the rider did to him."

Ryder released a slow breath…

* * *

"Hiccup?" the other dragon-rider asked, shocked, after catching sight of a scar on Ryder's chin.

Ryder froze. Few knew his Viking name, and most of them he considered enemies. Or at least hostiles. On the other hand, whoever this person was had allowed him to see Toothless, and the dragon wasn't hurt.

"Do I…know you?" he asked after a moment, deciding to give the person the benefit of the doubt.

The person pulled off their mask, revealing herself to be a woman with long brown hair, and large green eyes. "No…you were only a babe. But a mother never forgets."

Ryder's eyes widened and he gasped.

Jack stared between the two, noticing that there were indeed some similarities.

"This should be interesting." He muttered to Toothless, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

Valka looked at her son wistfully.

The dragons in the alpha's nest adored the trio, and even the Bewilderbeast liked them! Jack had fun using his snow and ice powers around the ice-breathing dragon, who seemed a bit curious about the little human's ability. And her Hiccup was also accepted with open wings, the babies crowding around him and demanding his attention, which the Night Fury, Toothless, was alternatively smug and jealous about.

Oh, why hadn't she gone back for him?

She should've known that Stoick wouldn't treat him well! To go so far as to forsake his name because he didn't want to be associated with dragon-slaying Vikings…and he had lost his foot and part of his leg while trying to get away.

And he understood why she hadn't come back! That had been more than she could have hoped for, but he had casually muttered that she probably would've been killed if she had tried. The dragons in the alpha's nest adored the trio, and even the Bewilderbeast liked them! Jack had fun using his snow and ice powers around the ice-breathing dragon, who seemed a bit curious about the little human's ability.

Oh yes, the Hairy Hooligan tribe had a lot to answer for, especially her _dearest_ husband.

But she was pleased that her baby had taken after her.

Valka's eyes widened happily as she watched Hiccup and the white-haired boy interacted.

There was something familiar about how they behaved around each other…

"Oh, you two are together, aren't you?" she asked excitedly.

Ryder and Jack blushed heavily. They'd never actually talked about what they were, but there was no denying that there was more than friendship there.

"Uh…well…" Jack started, before quieting.

"You…don't mind?" Ryder looked at his mother cautiously.

"Of course I don't mind, Hiccup!" Valka said with a laugh. "I never had any issue with Gobber, and you're my _son_, so obviously your happiness is the most important."

Ryder exhaled slowly, relieved. He was pretty sure the Stoick the Vast wouldn't have reacted so well. His best friend might be the same, but as the next in line for the chiefdom Hiccup would've been expected to marry and have an heir.

Luckily, he wasn't Hiccup anymore.

Which was a good thing, because he didn't want to be chained down to one place. He wanted to explore the world with Toothless and Jack at his side.

* * *

About a hundred miles away, an entirely different situation was taking place.

Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hairy Hooligans tribe, scowled darkly at the four _mages_ frolicking around just under where he was standing.

Those Children of Loki disgusted him. (2)

He smiled viciously, signaling for his warriors to charge.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, he bellowed in fury.

Those _blasted_ creatures had somehow managed to trick them!

All of his men and women were unconscious on the ground, some with burns and superficial cuts from the strange sword the blonde-haired girl wielded. The pink-haired bitch had done something, too, before knocking out the boy who wielded blue fire.

The strange thing was that all of his warriors went down at the same time.

They would regret making a fool out of him

* * *

"What's wrong?!" Lucy asked in alarm, seeing the looks in her friends' eyes as they ran up to the group.

"We were attacked." Ultear explained quickly.

Wendy gasped, before scanning the four for injuries. Besides the goose egg on Rin's head, they were all fine.

"Do you know who it was?" Erza asked. "How many of them?"

'_Around thirty people.'_ Kozue projected to the group. _'I don't think that they were mages. They were using swords, axes, and they wore these strange helmets with horns sticking out of them.'_

A few people inhaled sharply, recognizing the description.

"We need to find Ryder." Jellal stated. "Now."

* * *

**Please review!**

**(1) Yes, Gobber does actually prefer his own gender. It's been hinted at enough in the series and movies if you look closely ("This is why I never married…well, this and another reason." -HTTYD2), and I believe it says as much on the wikia, too.**

**(2) As a Viking tribe, they follow the Norse religion. Odin, Thor, **_**Loki…**_**Loki, of course, used magic, and wasn't exactly hailed as a hero like the others. Hence the 'children of Loki' thing, even though he has nothing to do with the Earthland mages. Also, another name for Jack Frost is the Norse **_**Jokul Frosti**_**, so THAT should be interesting when they realize just who Hiccup's allied with. The RotG Jack Frost isn't nearly old enough to be Jokul Frosti, and he's mortal in this story, but his name paired with his power over winter would be enough to freak out the Vikings. How is Astrid meant to steal Hiccup away from someone she believes to be a god?**

**(3) Meredy used her magic to connect Rin with the Vikings that they saw (Stoick was hiding to analyze the battle), before knocking him out, which would in turn incapacitate their attackers. Rin gave permission, so it's all okay.**


	33. Naval Battle and the Sky God Slayer

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any other series/characters included in this.**

**Warning: Minerva**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Where are they?!" Kinana cried, distressed.

Kozue and the others were fine, but no one had seen Ryder or Jack since before the attack.

"Don't worry." Erik said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be fine. Ryder is smart, Toothless won't let anything happen to them, and people can't even _see_ Jack unless he wants them to."

Kinana bit her lip, before sighing. "You're right. I'm just worried."

* * *

*Two hours later*

Fairy Tail was furious. Actually, a majority of the people present were.

"No way in hell!" Gray snarled.

"One of them participating is bad enough, but both blondie _and_ Juvia-chan?!" Lyon cried from the other side of the stands.

Even the Lamia Scale guild master didn't comment on his apparent support of a Fairy Tail member, also infuriated that the game-masters could be so cruel.

The judges had just announced the participants for the next event, the Naval Battle, and both girls had been chosen to compete.

Unfortunately, nothing anyone said could change their minds. One of the inherent risks in the Games was that you might be chosen twice in a row for the events, and that hadn't changed.

* * *

"Laxus." Lucy said softly, placing a hand on the dragon slayer's arm. "I'll be fine."

"You shouldn't even be out of the infirmary yet!" Laxus said with a scowl.

Lucy grimaced. Porlyusica had most definitely _not_ been happy that both of her patients had been forcefully taken from her care.

"I know." She agreed. "And I'm sure we'll be dragged back once it's over."

"You shouldn't have to do this." Laxus said after a moment.

"Hey." She touched his face, forcing him to look at her.

"I'll be fine." She said earnestly. "Really. The physical pain is completely gone."

"The emotional and mental pain isn't." he muttered, recalling Lucy's tears as she slept.

"Oh Laxus." Lucy said with a fond smile, eyeing him sadly. "Seriously, I can handle it. Surrounded by all of you, how could I not?"

She pecked him on the cheek before going to get ready for the Naval Battle.

* * *

Juvia analyzed her opponents. On one hand, there was the girl she had considered a love rival for a long time, but who now had a boyfriend and surely wasn't crushing on her Gray-sama. _And,_ like Juvia, she was still worn out from the previous day.

On the other was the girl from a rival guild, who had needlessly and cruelly tortured Lucy in an event similar to this just a year ago. Of course, there were the other girls, but Lucy and Minerva were her main competition.

Her decision wasn't a hard one.

She launched an attack at the smug Sabertooth bitch.

* * *

Ten minutes later, only Lucy, Juvia, and Minerva were left, most of the others having gotten caught in Aquarius' attack or one of Minerva's attempts to fend off Juvia.

As much as Minerva wanted to have another one on one 'battle' with the blonde Fairy, she knew that the blunette was more of a challenge in their current environment, and she so relished a challenge.

That being said, she used her magic to attack the blonde.

As Lucy found herself flying backwards, she realized that she was about to be thrown outside of the sphere. She could probably stop herself, but she was struck with an idea.

With a snap of her wrist, she grabbed Minerva with her whip, yanking the black-haired woman back with her, to Juvia's surprise. Lucy came out of the water first by a couple of seconds.

"And in a shocking turn of events, Miss Lucy Heartfilia took Sabertooth's Minerva Orlando with her!" the announced shouted. "Due to the rules that when two people are left they have to stay inside the water sphere for five minutes or they automatically get last place, the scoring is as follows!"

"In first place, the lovely Rain Woman from Fairy Tail Team B, Juvia Lockser! Second place is Fairy Tail Team A's Lucy Heartfilia, while Sabertooth's Minerva Orlando is in last place!"

As Minerva heard the commentary, she grew furious. How dare that little bitch cause her to lose in such a shameful way?!

She glanced towards her guild mates, specifically her father, who wasn't even looking at her. How utterly ashamed of her he must be.

She screeched in fury, lunging towards the blonde…

* * *

What happened next astounded the audience. When the black-haired beauty tried to attack the buxom blonde, Raven from Fairy Tail Team A summoned a black shield around the woman, trapping her in place.

Usually, Raven would merely subdue a person after trapping them. However, most people hadn't just tried to attack a person who she considered a friend.

The normally stoic girl's eyes glowed a brilliant red, and two more eyes appeared slightly higher. Tendrils of darkness formed around her, a bit like Rogue Cheney did when in his Shadow Drive state. She flew up towards the black sphere containing the Sabertooth mage, and a strange kind of black lightning came from her hands, striking the sphere and causing Minerva to scream in pain.

"What the hell?" Gray shouted.

"That's Raven's half-demon form." Rin answered promptly and without judgment, ignoring Raven's creepy appearance and glaring at Minerva.

"Do you have one?" Natsu asked.

"Uh…well, sort of." Rin mused. "My ears are pointier than they used to be and my canines are sharper, and when I power up they both get longer. My eyes sort of change, too. And of course there's my tail, which is always there, powered up or not. And I'm surrounded in blue fire."

"Cool!" Natsu said cheerfully. "I wonder what they taste like."

Gray and the surrounding mages sweat-dropped, while Rin burst out laughing.

"What's the matter?!" Raven snarled, bringing their attention back to her. "Afraid of the dark?"

Lucy walked towards her friend slowly, placing a hand on Raven's ankle and causing the half-demon to look down at her. "Rae, calm down. She's not a threat, and I'm completely fine. You'll only hurt yourself if you do anything. She's not worth it."

The audience held its breath, and a minute passed, before Raven slowly levitated herself back to the ground, red eyes disappearing and returning to their normal purple. The shadows disappeared, and the Sabertooth mage was released.

"Sorry about that." She said to the Sabertooth team, who'd run down to get Minerva. "My powers are controlled by my emotions, and anger has an especially powerful effect on me."

"Not a problem." Rogue responded with a shrug. "If she'd managed to land a hit, we would have been disqualified anyway, since the match had already ended."

"But she attacked Minerva!" Olga protested, though he was thoroughly shocked at the girl's strange black lightning, or at least it looked like lightning...

"To stop her." Sting, of all people, cut in. "The Fairies aren't about to get in trouble for it."

'Oh, isn't he full of surprises?' Lucy mused.

Suddenly, a gold exceed flew into her arms.

"Momma!" Astoria cried, tears pouring down her face as she buried her face in Lucy's chest. "Momma, are you hurt?!"

"No, sweetie, I'm just wet." Lucy assured her, petting her head gently before wiping her tears. "And I thought you didn't like water?"

Astoria sniffed, content to be in her mother's arms. "I don't care you're watery. I'm just glad you're okay."

Lucy (along with most of the audience) smiled at the adorable exceed.

Laxus chuckled, coming up to stand next to his...Lucy...and his (or their, as Astoria kept insisting, even though Laxus and Lucy had never talked about it) 'daughter', nudging Lucy gently and asking with his eyes if she really was okay.

The blonde smiled reassuringly, nodding.

* * *

"We'll need to keep an eye on that one." Lahar said conversationally, watching the purple-haired woman take out the Sabertooth mage.

Doranbolt grimaced. He'd rather not work against Fairy Tail.

After all, it had worked out _so well_ last time.

* * *

"I'm going to meditate." Raven told her team. "I need to regain complete control, and that might take a while."

"So, if you get called up tomorrow, Meredy's going in." Ultear stated with a nod. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything like that thrice-damned simulation.

* * *

"Chelia Blendy of Lamia Scale vs Meredy of Fairy Tail!"

Many in the arena smiled fondly as the younger pinkette tripped on a rock, falling down. Meredy came up to her, helping her up, before going back to her starting place.

"Thank you!" Chelia said with an embarrassed smile.

"Not a problem." Meredy said, returning the smile.

"Of course, don't expect me to go easy on you." Chelia warned, playfully wagging her pointer finger at the other girl.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Meredy replied.

* * *

The following battle was more interesting than anyone had expected. After all, Chelia was only fourteen, and Meredy was only Fairy Tail Team A's reserve member.

It had been a shock to find out that both girls used Lost Magic.

This battle was particularly difficult. Chelia's Sky God Slayer magic healed her physical injuries. On the other hand, when Meredy used her Maguilty Sense to link their bodies, their attacks injured both of them, and she was healed whenever Chelia healed herself.

In the end, neither of them could get an upper-hand. Chelia couldn't just stop healing herself, since the older girl was handling her injuries better and would outlast her, while Meredy wasn't about to release the link for the same reason.

The battle lasted the entire half hour before ending in a draw.

"Let's be friends!" Chelia said hopefully, shaking Meredy's hand once the battle ended.

"Sure, I'd like that." Meredy said with a smile. "And I'll introduce you to Wendy, too. Your magic is really similar."

'And you're both a bit clumsy.' Meredy thought to herself.

Chelia beamed in response.

* * *

**Please review!**

**Juvia messed up in canon because she was trying to impress Gray, but in this she's heard the story of how Minerva basically tortured Lucy a few years back, so she has that on her mind instead.**

**I couldn't justify changing the fact that the battle with Chelia ended in a draw. Wendy was her match for obvious reasons, but I also couldn't imagine Meredy or Chelia being able to get the upper-hand over each other, either. Not because they're weak or anything, but because they are too **_**strong**_**, and self-healing with body-link magic just doesn't mix.**


	34. Breaking the Fourth Wall-Bonus Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, and this Book Challenge thing is similar to what I've seen people do on YouTube, so that's not my idea either.**

**Consider this a bonus chapter. I wrote it a while ago, and while it doesn't fit in with the Games, I spent all of yesterday catching up on watching the series (I started up again at 176 and finished at 207. Since marathons aren't something I do often, I need to recuperate a bit before I start writing it again. And now I'm dreading the Eclipse thing, because it's a long arc and it's going to be a pain in the ass, especially since my crossover characters are going to change it up a bit.)**

**That, and Lucy deserves to have some fun after the Deimos and Phobos thing. I kind of wish I hadn't had that idea, but once it came to me I couldn't just not use it. Sorry to those who didn't want Lucy to go through that.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Woah!" Levy gasped as she woke up.

This certainly wasn't where she had fallen asleep, but she wasn't particularly inclined to complain.

The reason for that was because she found herself in a large room that she found herself in was, after all, filled with more books than would fit in her bedroom at Fairy Hills.

"What's going on?" the blunette heard, and looks towards where the voice came from.

Lucy and Freed? What were they doing here?

What was _she_ doing here?

For that matter, where _was_ here?

* * *

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentleman!" an ominous voice announced once the three mages had regained consciousness.

"Hello?" Lucy called out. "May I inquire as to your name and intentions in bringing us here?"

Levy raised a skeptical eyebrow at her best friend's phasing.

"Oh, shush." Lucy mumbled quietly, seeing her expression. "I was raised as an heiress, and that includes lessons in etiquette. Besides, wouldn't it be best to be polite to an unknown entity instead of reacting with hostility?"

Freed hid a small smile behind his hand, having been raised in a similar way. He never regretted leaving that environment, but it was nice to know that someone else had been taught the same way.

"If you're done?" the voice asked, sounding slightly amused. "My name is Rayvn. I have brought the three of you here to participate in a slight challenge that I thought you would find interesting."

"We know a lady named Raven." Freed murmured. "Would I be correct in presuming that you are not her?"

"No, I am not." Rayvn agreed. "Though now that I think about it Miss Roth may have liked to participate as well…no, perhaps not. She's too dignified."

"And we aren't?" Levy asked with a pout. "And you haven't answered the question about why you brought us here."

"Right, sorry about that." Raven said. "Anyway, this will be interesting enough with just the three of you. The challenge is to find a book in this room that fulfills a requirement. All of the books are novels. Whoever finds an appropriate book first wins a point, and the first to…15, I think, wins."

"What kind of requirement?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Well, let's just start now. Find a novel set in medieval times." The three didn't move. "That means go."

"Oh!" Levy squeaked, before running off. Lucy followed at a slightly slower place, while Freed walked towards the bookshelves. All three mages had a glint in their eyes, a mixture of their love for books and the excitement of competition.

"Found one!" Levy called seconds later. She was intimately familiar with the set-up of libraries, so she was confident that she would do well.

"Turn the cover towards the ceiling so that I can see it." Rayvn instructed.

Levy complied. The first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series.

"Point to Miss McGarden! Next: a book with 9 letters in the title."

"Oh!" Lucy gasped, hand flying towards the shelf that she had been perusing. "Got it! Bewitched!" She held up the book for inspection.

"Point to Miss Heartfilia!"

Freed was torn. On one hand, he wanted to try and win. On the other, Laxus seemed to be interested in courting her, and it wouldn't do to defeat her in a competition.

Would it?

Lucy, somehow reading the hesitant expression on his face, smiled at him happily. "It's all in good fun, Freed, don't worry about it."

Well, he couldn't ignore a command like that, now could he?

"Oh course, Miss Lucy." He said quickly, smiling back.

* * *

"Dubious ending!" Rayvn called.

The three mages worked around each other, trying to find books they were familiar with.

"Blood of Olympus!" Freed called, holding up the last book in the Heroes of Olympus series.

"Point to Mr. Justine." Rayvn said. "Good choice, I rather like that series."

* * *

"Dystopian novel!"

"City of Ember!" Levy called.

* * *

"Rip-off of a classic fairy tale!"

Levy and Lucy giggled at the word play, raising their hands in the Fairy Tail gesture, thumb and index finger out.

"Point to Mr. Justine!"

"Dang it!" the two girls cursed.

* * *

"A cover with at least three different shades of blue on it!"

* * *

"Horror novel!"

Lucy and Freed looked at each other nervously as Levy cackled.

After all, horror was her favorite genre.

* * *

"The title written in a fancy script!"

* * *

"Includes a map inside its pages!"

* * *

"Includes a preview for the next book in the series!"

* * *

"Between 350-400 pages!"

"I don't read books that small!" Levy cried.

* * *

A short while later, it was over.

"Who won?" Levy asked eagerly. The three grinned at each other, having loosened up quite a bit as they teased each other playfully when they got a point.

Silence.

"Miss Rayvn?" Freed asked, confused. "Are you still there?"

Still nothing.

* * *

A moment later, they found themselves back in their beds, feeling like they had just woken up from a dream.

"Shoot." Levy muttered, disgruntled, before pulling up her bed covers.

She was sure that she had won!

* * *

**Please review!**

**Also, if any of you guys are Percy Jackson fans, I have a few Solangelo (Nico di Angelo/Will Solace) stories that I've put up for adoption, if anyone is interesting. If so, check chapter 42 of my story Just Another Day to find out more about that (you don't have to read the story or anything, that's just where I put the information.)**


	35. SO-CALLED DATES PART TWO

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the other characters or the series I got them from.**

**Note: The long-awaited Dates Part 2. I swear, I really did make a deal with my sister about when I'd write and post this (I said as much in a PM with quite a few of you guys), but I got tired of waiting for her to finally fulfill her side of the deal. I just won't tell her it's already up.**

**Warning: these pairings from the Bachelorette Auction chapter aren't necessarily ones I support or am going to put in this story, so I wouldn't recommend getting excited just because a guy bid on a specific girl.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Rin looked at his date fondly.

He had decided to take her to a fair in the next town over, which apparently was a really good choice. Kozue had been bullied when she was a young child, and had never gone to this kind of thing because she had no one to go with.

Rin had never been to this kind of thing either, come to think of it. He did have a twin brother he could go with, but Yukio was more serious and didn't really like this kind of thing. Not only that, but their adoptive father Shiro hadn't really had the money to spare.

Or at least that's what Rin had believed, before finding out that Shiro had been a Paladin for the True Cross Order, which hunted demons. Luckily, Shiro had seen the humanity in Rin and had refused to turn him over.

Anyway, enough about that.

The two had gone on all of the rides, and Rin was pleased to discover that Kozue was fearless, and actually seemed to _prefer_ the thrill rides. Could this girl get any more amazing?

Apparently she could.

The two had competed against each other in the fair games. She won him a goldfish, and he won her a keychain. She then won him a small stuffed cat that looked sort of like Kuro, and so he won her a slightly larger panda plush. And on and on it went.

To most people, trying to one up each other would get annoying, but they had fun competing. Fairy Tail mages knew better than to take this kind of thing too seriously. They were more amused by the people running the stands' frustration as they constantly beat the rigged games.

They shared some deep-friend Oreos (AN: absolutely delicious but ridiculously bad for you), cotton candy, and the other cliché fair foods.

The pair were currently enjoying the Ferris wheel. Kozue had immediately snuggled up to him, though Rin certainly wasn't complaining. She shivered a bit, and Rin wrapped an arm around her in an attempt to shield her from the chill.

He doubted it made much of a difference, but he was rewarded with a sweet smile nonetheless.

This was the best night he had had in a long, long time.

* * *

Mirajane hummed happily as she prepared to go to bed.

Her date with Freed had been amazing. He was a perfect gentleman, was intelligent, funny when he wanted to be (though he had more of a dry humor), wasn't bothered in the slightest about her magic, and was rather handsome to boot!

He had taken her to a beautiful Italian restaurant, where they ate outside and were right at the edge of the lake. It was a very intimate atmosphere, lacking anything but the food, music (which was playing quietly), and view to distract them from each other. Freed's eyes hadn't wandered at all (not that she thought that he was the kind of man who would do that), and conversation flowed effortlessly. No awkwardness at all.

When a slow song came on, he had stood up and offered his hand, asking her if she might honor him with a dance. He didn't try anything inappropriate there, either. When the dance ended, he bowed, and she curtseyed in return.

When he returned her home and bid her goodnight, he kissed her hand, like she had read about in her romantic novels.

Some girls would be disappointed and insecure if their date didn't try to make a move, but not Mirajane!

As a model, she was very used to men throwing themselves at her. Why, even Wakaba flirted with her. She was constantly bombarded with love confessions and grand gestures by people she'd never met, but in her mind, actions spoke louder than words.

And she knew that Freed didn't do or say anything that he didn't mean.

Had she finally found someone that could love her for who she was? Not the model, or the demon, but as Mirajane Strauss?

She dearly hoped so.

* * *

Erza was absolutely delighted when Jellal brought her to Magnolia Park to find a picnic, straw basket, blanket, wine, and everything. A moonlit dinner under the stars?

This was already a rather romantic setup, but for a girl who had never been on a picnic and had always wanted to have one, it was even better.

They spent their night catching up as much as they possibly could, at least the things that they couldn't say in front of anyone else.

Jellal told her about how he was dealing with his guilt, what it had been like living with Lucy, stories about things that had happened with both her new and old friends during the past seven years, and how he was slowly reconciling with Millianna and the rest of their friends from the Tower of Heaven. They knew logically that Jellal hadn't been in control of himself, but emotionally there were a lot of broken bridges that needed to be fixed or rebuilt.

Erza told him about what she had done during the years where Jellal was possessed and acting as Segrain. Her intense rivalry with Mirajane, how everything had seemed to change after Lisanna's supposed death, what it was like on Tenrou Island when they realized that the S-Class Exams were over, and that they had much bigger things to deal with: Grimoure Heart, Zeref, Acnologia…

It was a long, emotionally trying night.

Most people, when on a date, tried to keep things light. These two, however, were more serious and realistic than most. They knew the worst aspects of the other, but knew that the good outshined the bad. The beautiful picnic relaxed them enough that they could finally talk about their shared past without chickening out.

This was their chance to move on.

Their chance to start anew.

* * *

Cana, Macao, and Wakaba had fun bringing out a barrel of wine that had been in the cellar since before the Tenrou incident. It was decades old at this point.

Needless to say, Cana was the last one standing after finishing off the barrel.

Macao was just glad that she had nothing to complain to her daddy about, so hopefully Gildarts wouldn't kick his ass for daring to make a bid for her.

Still, what he wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when Gildarts eventually found out about it and went after Makarov.

* * *

Sinon's date didn't last very long.

He took her to a cheap ramen stand and then to the movies. She didn't particularly mind the choice of activities. The ramen was pretty good, cheap or not. But when he tried to make a move on her in the dark movie theater…

Well, let's just say that he ended up with a bowl of popcorn on his head as she stomped off.

If it wasn't for the fact that he had paid for a date with her (which benefited the guild), she would have reacted more violently.

Oh well. At least she got a free bowl of ramen out of the deal.

* * *

"So what did you want to do?" Asuna asked sweetly, hands clasped behind her back.

"Well…" Kirito began awkwardly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced to the side.

"You don't have any ideas, do you?" Asuna asked.

"No!" Kirito yelped slightly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I do. It's just…"

"It doesn't matter what it is, I'm sure I'll love it." Asuna assured him, extending a hand.

"I hope so." Kirito said with a grin, taking her hand. Geez, her skin was soft…

With that, he led her home.

Asuna raised her eyebrows in shock when she saw their dining room.

A delicious meal stood out before them, and of course there were a few candles in the dimly-lit room. Yui was already sitting at the table, awaiting their arrival.

"What is this?" Asuna gasped, surprised.

"Well, you always make amazing things with your cooking, but I never returned the favor, so I thought that I would cook for you!" Kirito said with a grin. "I made the food right before the auction, and Yui wanted to help, so she set the table and made sure the heating lacrima kept the food hot."

"You didn't know you would win the auction." Asuna muttered breathlessly.

"As if I'd let anyone else take you on a date!" Kirito scoffed, before muttering more quietly. "Not again…"

Asuna teared up, and Kirito freaked.

"I-if you don't like it we can always—" he began, but Yui jumped out of her chair before hitting him gently on the head.

"Baka daddy." She said with a cute giggle, before pulling her mommy to the table.

Kirito snapped out of his surprise, and managed to pull out Asuka's chair before she sat down, pushing it in and earning a watery smile in return.

"This is perfect." Asuna said warmly, wiping away her tears.

It didn't quite count as a date, with Yui there, but…

Their family was together. What could be better than this?

* * *

If a stranger had seen Elfman and Evergreen's date, they might have wondered what the man was thinking taking that kind of woman to a place like this.

A monster truck rally? (AN: oh, shush. They do have vehicles, so this isn't too much of a stretch.)

Really? You didn't take a lady to a place like this.

Well, to hell with stereotypes!

Evergreen hadn't been sure how to react when Elfman told her what they would be doing for their date. She should've expected it though, she admitted to herself, with his obsession with 'being a man.'

However, it didn't take long for her to change her mind.

This was amazing! Evergreen legitimately enjoyed watching this, despite the fact that it was more or less drenched in testosterone.

Who knew?

Afterwards, she still slapped Elfman with her fan (not as hard as she usually would) and insisted that next time, she would choose where they went.

Elfman was too (inwardly) pleased at the prospect of another date to mind.

* * *

**Please review!**

**I was going to make the Dates only have two parts, but as I got to writing this chapter I realized that there were still a lot of 'couples' that I have to get through, and that a part 3 might be a good idea. Five pages is a long chapter for me. I do have about half of Part 3 written already though. Once you start a chapter, it's easier to write the rest of it, I've found.**

**Anyway.**

**I just spent the last few days at an anime convention! Voice actors Todd Haberkorn (Natsu), Jamie Marchie (Cana), Monica Rial (Mirajane), Ian Sinclair (Bora), Eric Vale (Loke/Leo)…all of them were there. Oh, and the guy who plays Goku, Sean Schemmel, but I don't watch Dragonball Z or anything else he's prominent in, so that didn't really mean anything to me. Seems like a cool guy, though.**

**Yes, I prefer the dubbed anime, at least when it comes to series that have a lot of action, because I don't want to miss out. Sorry to all of you SUB OR DIE people out there. **

**TODD HABERKORN DID NATSU'S FIRE DRAGON ROAR IN ONE OF HIS PANELS! Absolutely the highlight of the weekend for me. It was loud and powerful and absolutely amazing to hear in person. Just…wow. It doesn't matter whether you love, like, or hate Natsu. It was amazing regardless.**

**Todd and Sean's autograph lines were insanely long. Like, wrap around the stadium insane (both days in Todd's case). I never got why autographs are such a big deal so I didn't bother, but it was entertaining to see people wait in line for over an hour. They cut Todd's line off the first day and he got kind of mad about it (because people were waiting forever only to be told they waited for nothing), so they didn't cut it off on the second day, which of course made Todd late to a couple of his panels, but whatever. Then he had to fly back home and now he's working on the new Dragonball Z movie today (it's Memorial Day). The poor guy needs sleep, he looked exhausted.**

**Jamie and Monica are awesome and hilarious individually, but it's like tenfold when they're together. I would totally recommend going to their panels if you guys ever go to a con, **_**especially**_** if they're both there. Ian was incredibly funny, especially after he drank a Monster during the panel. Eric was also hilarious, especially when he started doing impressions of Todd when he was late for his panel due to the long autograph lines. **

**Anyway, it was a long weekend. Lots of driving, dealt with parking garages downtown, huge crowds, Todd and Eric not being able to make it to some of their panels due to flight delays and other reasons that we can't blame on them (not that we would), lots of people in awesome/insane/scary/disturbing cosplay… **

**Seriously though, some of the people who were cosplaying dressed up as Elsa, Jack Frost, Belle, characters from Adventure Time, etcetera…seriously?! It was an ANIME convention!**

**On the upside, I saw…2 Erza's, 1 Jellal (in his Segrain outfit), at least 5 Levy's, 1 Gajeel, 1 Freed, at least 3 Lucy's (one of them in her GMG outfit), at least 5 Natsu's, 1 Rogue, 1 Laxus, 1 Gray, 3 Juvia's, 2 Happy's, 1 Cana, and 1 Wendy.**


	36. See You Again

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the series these crossover characters or from, or the song that I use down below.**

**Warning: mentions of sad and tragic pasts, a sad and heartbreaking song, etcetera. Spoilers for Blue Exorcist, Teen Titans (though more the comics than the show because it goes into more detail about Raven's history), etcetera.**

**Note: I'll try and get So-Called Dates Part 3 out either tomorrow or Thursday.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Next up in the Games is the Karaoke Event!" the big-headed announcer shouted.

"Karaoke?" Lucy wondered.

"Gihihi." Gajeel chuckled, ready to go up and do his thing.

Everyone in Fairy Tail let out a relieved sigh when Levy bonked him on the head and shook her head firmly, causing Gajeel to pout (though he would deny it if anyone asked).

"You already know that this year's Games are longer than the previous years, and we had to come up with new things for you all to do! Part of the goal of the Games is to determine not only what guild is the strongest in magic power, but strength in all of its forms, from loyalty to heart." the pumpkin announced. "These are guild-wide events, so you don't need to be on your guild's team to participate!"

* * *

Blue Pegasus sent up a girl named Ellen, who had a beautiful voice like an angel, but the song didn't seem to mean anything to her.

Quatro Puppy, for whatever reason, sent out Warcry, but no one could figure out what he was singing through his bawling.

Sabertooth sent out Olga, who honestly was just as bad as Gajeel.

Millianna came out for Mermaid Heel, and sang the Kitty Cat Dance song, not that most people knew where it had come from.

Sherry serenaded Ren with a fun and teasing love song, causing the Blue Pegasus mage to blush, despite his best efforts.

Raven Tail sent out Flare, who actually surprised people with her voice. She didn't sound nearly as psychotic when singing, though people wondered about the home she was singing about so wistfully.

* * *

"Next up, Fairy Tail!"

To the surprise of many, it wasn't Mirajane who came up to the stage, but Jellal Fernandes and Natsu Dragneel.

"Those two can sing?" Levy wondered aloud.

"Jellal, probably." Droy mused. "He's good at a lot of different things. But I don't know about Natsu…"

"Shush, we're about to find out." Cana said, nudging the man's arm.

The music started playing…

* * *

**"See You Again"**  
**(Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth)**

_Jellal:_  
It's been a long day without you, my friend  
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again  
We've come a long way from where we began  
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again  
When I see you again  
(Hey)

Erza's eyes widened slightly.

_Natsu:_

Damn, who knew?  
All the planes we flew  
Good things we've been through  
That I'll be standing right here talking to you  
'Bout another path  
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh  
But something told me that it wouldn't last  
Had to switch up  
Look at things different, see the bigger picture  
Those were the days  
Hard work forever pays  
Now I see you win the better place (see you win the better place)

Uh  
How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?  
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side  
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

All of Fairy Tail smiled at that one. Members new and old, all of them had been through a lot together, and it had only made them stronger. Still, nothing lasted forever, and they needed to enjoy it while they could.

_Jellal:_  
It's been a long day without you, my friend  
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (I see you again)  
We've come a long way (yeah, we came a long way) from where we began (you know we started)  
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I'll see you again (let me tell you)  
When I'll see you again

(Aah oh, aah oh  
Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

_Natsu:_  
{Yeah}  
First you both go out your way  
And the vibe is feeling strong  
And what's small turn to a friendship  
A friendship turn to a bond  
And that bond will never be broken  
The love will never get lost (and the love will never get lost)  
And when brotherhood come first  
Then the line will never be crossed  
Established it on our own  
When that line had to be drawn  
And that line is what we reach  
So remember me when I'm gone (remember me when I'm gone)

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?  
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side  
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

_Jellal:_  
So let the light guide your way, yeah  
Hold every memory as you go  
And every road you take, will always lead you home, ooh ooo oh

_Jellal __**and**__ Natsu:_

It's been a long day without you, my friend  
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again  
We've come a long way from where we began  
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again  
When I see you again

(Aah oh)  
{Uh}  
(Aah oh)  
{Yeah}  
(Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)  
{Ya, ya}  
When I see you again  
{Uh}  
See you again  
(Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)  
{Yeah, yeah, uha}  
When I see you again

* * *

The Strauss siblings all had tears going down their faces. Their parents had been killed, and Mirajane had to take care of her younger siblings. Due to her demon Take Over magic, she had been shunned and thought of as a monster, and had started believing it herself. She had nearly left the two at Fairy Tail before going off on her own so that she wouldn't bring them pain, only for them to learn their own Take Over magic to show her that they loved her and didn't care about her magic. Their lives at Fairy Tail had been wonderful, until Mira's S-Class job, which she took her siblings on, had gone horribly wrong. Lisanna had been separated from the two oldest for years, with Mira and Elfman thinking that she was dead and blaming themselves for it, and Lisanna had lost all hope that she would see them again.

The best day of their lives, hands down, had been reuniting with each other after Lisanna returned from Edolas.

But not everyone was so lucky.

Lyon's fists clenched as he remembered Ur. Oh, he had made so many mistakes. He respected her more than he had ever respected anyone, and what had he done (or tried to do) to show his appreciation for everything that he had done for her?

Gray was also affected by the song, more so than Lyon. He had blamed himself for years over Ur's 'death' (actually, he still did), but he also had his parents' brutal deaths at the hands of Deliora to deal with. He wasn't even positive that they _were_ dead, since he hadn't found their bodies, but their entire village had been destroyed.

He blinked rapidly when he felt a hand take his, and he looked up to see Juvia sitting beside him, smiling at him, beautiful blue eyes holding their own sadness.

She understood. Gray didn't know too much about her childhood, but he knew that it hadn't been happy, even before she joined Phantom Lord.

He took a slow breath, and squeezed her hand slightly in return, reassuring her that he was alright.

Juvia blushed slightly, but didn't react otherwise.

There were dozens of people who had lost loved ones and who were also tearing up, if not crying outright. Levy, whose parents had been killed when she was little.

Cana, who lost her mother and hadn't really known her father until just before Acnologia attacked.

Lucy, who lost her mother before her father became emotionally absent and then died too soon after their reconciliation. For Michelle, her 'little sister', who never gave up hope that her and Lucy would be reunited, despite Lucy forgetting her.

Wendy was sobbing as she thought of Grandineey, and Gajeel was looking at the sky wistfully, same as Natsu, who was still on stage. Rogue and Sting also looked rather wistful as they thought of Weisslogia and Skiadrum, their own draconic adopted fathers, who had asked their sons to kill them, though for different reasons.

Erza thought about the family that she must have had but didn't remember, and Rob, who gave his life to save hers.

Romeo and Macao, whose mother and wife passed away during childbirth.

The Dreyars. Laxus, whose mother had died when he was three, and who wished that Ivan hadn't become what he had. Ivan used to be a good man, but somewhere down the line he had changed. Makarov also wished for simpler times, before his son had become estranged. It didn't help that he had lost Laxus for a while, too.

Jellal, who had lost everyone he cared about when he was possessed. He would never see Rob again. Sho, Millianna, and Wally still blamed him, at least a bit. He had more or less killed Simon, and hurt not only Erza and his old friends but Simon's sister Kagura. Erza had forgiven him for everything, but that didn't lessen the horrible guilt.

Kagura, who was saved by Erza during the raid that had taken her brother. Who had searched high and low for years to find him, before being told by Millianna that Simon was died. Kagura, who swore to kill Jellal in return, only to _then_ find out that it wasn't even really Jellal, the person who possessed him wasn't even _aiming_ for him, Simon _willingly_ took the hit, _**AND **_the person who he _was_ aiming for was the very same girl who had saved her from being taken in the first place.

The poor girl still didn't really know what to think about everything.

Meredy, whose family was killed by Grimoure Heart, though she had forgiven Ultear for her part in it.

Ultear herself, who had hated her mother for years because Ur abandoned her, only to find out after her death that Ur thought that Ultear was dead. She had been so stupid, joining Grimoure Heart, and had ruined so many lives, Meredy and Jellal most of all.

Yukino, who blamed herself for the death of her parents, as well as the disappearance and probable death of her older sister, Sorano.

Hibiki, who lost Karen Lilica, a woman that he had loved despite her not being the best person. Not that he blamed Leo for it, but it was still painful.

Flare, who yearned to go back to the village she was raised in. Raven Tail had seemed like it could become her new home, but after seeing the Fairies undergo the simulation tests, and saw what a true guild should be like, she wasn't so sure.

Pantherlily, whose heart clenched as he thought about the young boy who's life he had saved. He would never see Prince Jellal again, but he felt so glad that he had been able to see the young man take the throne, and knew that he would be the best king Edolas had ever had.

Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon closed their eyes, remembering the families that they had left behind when they decided to come to Fiore. They couldn't imagine their lives without Yui and Fairy Tail, but they wished that they still had their other family members in their lives.

Rin, whose mother died in childbirth. His foster father Shiro, who died protecting him. He lost his younger twin brother, Yukio, although he was still alive. He would probably never again see everyone he had grown up with at the monastery.

Jack and Ryder, even though they were still missing, also had tragic pasts.

Jack had lost his younger sister when he was younger due to her falling through the ice when he was trying to teach her how to skate. He dove under, trying to save her, but by the time they resurfaced she was already gone. His parents had blamed him, and he ran away from home to get away from everything. He had wandered alone for years until he stumbled upon Hiccup and Toothless on that island.

Ryder's mother was taken from him when he was a baby, and his father had become a lot like Lucy's, though in a more violent way. He was bullied throughout his childhood by the other kids, and ignored by almost everyone else. He found a friend in the one thing that his Viking hated more than anything else: a dragon. And instead of giving him a chance, his father banished him, tried to kill him, and then he lost a leg only a few hours later.

If it weren't for Jack, Hiccup, or 'Ryder' as he now called himself, might very well have succumbed to either his injury (very dangerous, especially when you don't have the supplies to take care of it) or his depression at losing his home and the last remaining member of his family.

Raven, who was only alive because her demon sire had raped her mother, Arella, who tried to commit suicide so that Raven wouldn't be born. The mother that she didn't know, because Raven was taken to be raised by the monks of Azarath, who forbid an emotional attachment from developing between the two females. Her sire, who didn't give a damn about her, and only tried to use her so that he could destroy the world. Robin, Starfire, Victor, BB, and the rest of her friends back on the dimension that her mother was from. Raven had never let on, but Mystogan, Porlyusica, and the Exceeds hadn't been the only ones from a different world. She would never her friends, her first _family_, again.

A single tear ran down her face and a brick cracked due to her magic.

* * *

**Please review!**

**I had many, many ideas for songs that the various Fairy Tail members could sing, but I heard this one for the **_**n**_**th time on the radio, and realized that this would be more powerful than the others I was thinking. **

**I was originally going to have Lucy sing with Jellal, but I couldn't imagine her actually singing in this style. Oh well. Natsu singing about family makes perfect sense to me. And Jellal's part in this song is kind of self-explanatory.**

**I'm fairly sure I missed a few people when going over everyone who had lost someone. Crap.**

**Furious Seven SPOILERS! Damn song made me cry at the end of the movie. I was just find throughout the actual movie, but the tribute for Paul Walker at the end hit me right in the feels. It was raining when I left the theater, too, which matched the mood.**


	37. So-Called Dates 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the other characters or the series I got them from.**

**Snowflake: I'm guessing you don't read the author's notes at the ends of the chapters, because I kind of already addressed the Zuko and Toph thing. I do have a soft spot for the pairing, but him bidding on her for the auction doesn't necessarily mean anything; think of it as him knowing that she wouldn't enjoy being forced to spend time with a stranger, saving both her and the guy from the experience, and in the process having the opportunity to spend time with the friend he was visiting (they ARE friends, they don't dislike each other). Support Zutara all you want, I can see why people like them together. Still, how on earth does Katara being able to blood-bend make her a better choice for Zuko than Toph is? Blood-bending has absolutely nothing to do with fire-bending.**

**Warning: my crappy attempts at writing romance (don't expect too much, seriously)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Raven meditated after her 'date' had ended.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She chanted.

He had taken her to a small bookstore, which apparently doubled as a coffee shop. It was nice a cozy, and she appreciated the smell of old books. Honestly, at some point she might have to bring Lucy and Levy to this place.

Various people were reading poetry, both original works and ones from their favorite poets.

Rogue had asked her about her favorite books, and actually _listened_ when she told him about them, which was more than she could say about some men. The odd thing was, when she asked him a few questions about him in return, she found that she was actually interested in his answers.

Did it make her a bad person if she said that that wasn't usually the case?

Oh well. She was the daughter of a demon king, surely apathy wasn't her worst sin. For kami's sake, her half-brothers were the Deadly Sins themselves! (AN: not joking, they really are.)

She wasn't entirely sure that she liked Rogue in a romantic sense (actually, she wasn't sure that he liked her that way either), but she could definitely see them being good friends, at least.

* * *

Juvia moodily moved her food around her plate as she tried to tune out Lyon's voice.

Was that rude of her? Most likely, but she couldn't quite bring herself to regret it.

He was just so annoying! The white-haired boy had been boasting about his accomplishments since this 'date' began. She was self-aware enough that she knew she went on and on about Gray's best aspects (i.e. all of them), but Gray _himself_ didn't boast!

Well, unless there was a guild brawl or when fighting Natsu, but that didn't count.

Lyon's heart clenched painfully as he gazed into Juvia's slightly bored eyes.

What was it about Gray that entranced the beautiful Rain Woman to such a degree?

Why was he, Lyon, always second place? First Ur, and now Juvia…

* * *

"So…" Gray began awkwardly.

He wanted to get to know his teacher's daughter, who he had heard about from Ur herself, but maybe this 'date' wasn't the _best _way to do that.

Damn.

"So." Ultear repeated, before she decided to end the awkward silence. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

"What's there to tell?" Gray asked dryly. "Lucy probably told you most of it."

Ultear slapped him on the head gently with a roll of her eyes, ignoring his surprised expression. "Lucy wouldn't have told me more than the basics; her privacy was intruded upon enough way back when that she's careful not to overstep boundaries."

Gray ducked his head sheepishly. "Right, sorry. Uh…heavy stuff, or light stuff?"

"Either." Ultear responded with a shrug.

Gray looked at her for a moment.

Usually, he would stick with the light stuff. What his magic was (she already knew), his hobbies (fighting with Natsu), that kind of thing.

On the other hand, this was the daughter of the woman he owed his very life to. Ultear had been the most important thing in the world to Ur, and her staged death had broken her. This was the woman who had been robbed of the opportunity to be raised by her fantastic mother, who had hated and resented her for years because her heart had been broken when she saw her mother, seemingly perfectly happy without her, with Gray and Lyon.

She deserved the truth.

"Okay…well, I lived in the north with my family." Gray began. "When I was six, Deliora, one of Zeref's demons, attacked my village. Next thing I know everything is burning and I can't find my parents. Later on I found my mother's corpse, and my old man probably died too. I wanted to learn magic so that I could kill Deliora, so I sought out Ur, who was already teaching Lyon, and asked her to take me on as a pupil."

Ultear bit her lip, heart aching.

To think, she had tried to bring Zeref back into power.

She had ruined and ended countless lives in her quest to achieve that goal, and had she continued to try the casualties would've only gotten more and more.

"So I spent about eight months there. Ur made us strip down to the bare basics to acclimate with the cold to make our molding better, and at some point it became a habit that I can't control. One night, I heard a news report that Deliora was nearby, and I wanted to…"

He was silent for a long moment.

"Ur tried to stop me, but I didn't listen to her. She followed me, and I was about to be killed when she jumped in front of me and cast Ice Shell."

Ultear's eyes widened in shock. Arc of Time was her primary magic, but she was also an Ice Make mage, so she had studied up on those techniques as well.

"She sacrificed herself to cage Deliora, but she wouldn't have had to if it wasn't for my stupidity." Gray said, punching a wall as they walked past it.

"From what I've been told about my mother, I think that she would have eventually used the spell to take out the demon anyway." Ultear told him quietly. "Your involvement only gave her more strength to manage it because she didn't want you to get hurt."

In return, she told him about the years after she had been taken from her mother, from her time at the facility, to joining up with Hades, and her misguided goal to bring back Zeref in an attempt to turn back time and start over.

It became easier to talk to each other after that...

* * *

Levy and Gajeel's date went just as anyone who knew them could have guessed.

Gajeel was awkward and quiet, trying to hide the fact that he kept staring at the little blue-haired mage.

Levy herself was also a bit quiet, blushing as she remembered that he had _paid_ to spend time with her. Honestly, if he had just asked…

"We're here." Gajeel said gruffly.

The blunette looked up in surprise. She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even wonder where they were going.

She gasped as she saw the sign.

"The cinema?" she asked with a grin. "What are we seeing?"

"You have a choice between It and The First Kiss." His disgust at the romantic movie was evidence in his grimace.

"Stephen King, no contest." Levy said immediately.

Gajeel looked at her in surprise.

"What?" she asked, slightly bemused.

"I thought chicks liked cheesy cruddy movies." He said without thinking.

Levy swatted him with her red satchel (déjà vu). "Stereotype. Horror is my favorite genre."

"Seriously?!" Gajeel asked, stunned.

"Yes, seriously." Levy repeated with a slight huff. "Now come on, we're going to miss the movie!"

Gajeel grinned, scaring a few of the people around him, though Levy didn't react at all. "Gihihi. Lead the way, Shrimp."

Levy rolled her eyes fondly before doing so.

After the movie had ended, Gajeel was grumbling slightly.

He had hoped that the movie would scare the petite girl, but besides her eyes getting wider at the more gory scenes, she barely even reacted, too absorbed in the movie.

There went his hopes that she'd cling onto him and have him 'protect' her.

He grinned, glancing at the Shrimp, who was skipping next to him.

Then again, one thing he really appreciated about Levy was that she wasn't like other girls. He should've realized that this wouldn't be any different.

* * *

Lucy grinned where she saw where Laxus was taking her.

"A planetarium?" she asked excitedly.

He grunted. "Figured you'd enjoy it, and I might learn something."

"I'll make sure of it." She said with a laugh, before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the entrance.

Seeing the glint in her eye, Laxus sighed. "Just what have I gotten myself into?"

Lucy hummed thoughtfully, still pulling him. "Well, astronomy is kind of my thing, so…I could go on for _hours._"

Laxus' eyes widened at the double meaning, and Lucy blushed when she realized that that could be taken in an entirely different way than she meant it.

"Um…let's just pretend that my choice of words didn't become a dirty joke, okay?" Lucy said, still a bit red. She let go of his hand as they arrived at the ticket booth.

Laxus looked down at her fondly, before ruffling her hair and ignoring her protests.

If she didn't want him to mess with her hair, then she shouldn't be so damn cute.

Four hours later, the duo walked out of the building.

"That…was actually interesting." Laxus muttered.

"You sound surprised." Lucy said with a smirk. "But yeah, it was fun. We might have to come back some time."

Laxus raised an eyebrow at her, amused.

She looked right back at him, not flinching or blushing. Yes, she knew what she had implied, now she was waiting for a response.

"That sounds fun." He said after a moment. "Maybe a concert, at some point."

"Oh, yeah, you're always listening to music." Lucy said, smiling a bit at their agreement that there would be more 'outings' in the future. "What do you typically listen to?"

"Classic Rock, mostly, but I'll listen to pretty much anything." Laxus answered, pulling out his music player and turning it on before handing it to his date.

Lucy blinked, before taking it and perusing through his music library. "Ooh, I like this song. Wow, you really do have everything on here."

"I've spent a lot of Jewels buying music for that thing." Laxus admitted.

"I can imagine." Lucy agreed.

Hundreds of songs? Yeah, that would cost a huge chunk of change.

The due spent the next few minutes talking about their favorite bands and artists, and comparing their experiences at live performances.

Suddenly, Laxus' head shot up and his eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, immediately stopping and looking around for a threat.

"Freed put a rune barrier around my house…" Laxus began, before starting to jog, Lucy immediately matching his pace. "To alert me when the egg starts to hatch."

Lucy's eyes widened just as much as his. "You mean…?"

"Fairy Tail will be welcoming a new Exceed real soon." Laxus confirmed.

Lucy laughed, and Laxus was struck by the beautiful sound, full of happiness and delight, which was mirrored in her eyes.

"We'd better not keep your new friend waiting, then!" she chirped, before speeding up, gesturing for him to go ahead of her. She didn't know where he lived. "Come on!"

Laxus grinned widely, his own eyes reflecting his excitement, before picking up his pace.

Five minutes later, Laxus unlocked his door, before opening it and stepping aside to let Lucy in.

The girl quickly got the hint, calling "Nice place!" as she poked her head into the first doorway, grinning when she saw the egg being warmed up by the fireplace lacrima.

She went over to it, crouching and examining the cracks in the egg. From what Natsu, Lisanna, and Wendy had said, it wouldn't take very long.

"Birds have things on their beaks to help them break through the shell." She said after a moment, as Laxus came in and hung up his coat. "I wonder how an Exceed manages."

"Never thought about it." Laxus responded gruffly, though now he was slightly curious as well. He offered his hand to Lucy, who smiled sheepishly, tugging off her own coat and handing it to him so he could hang it up.

"Thanks." She said with a smile and a slight blush.

Laxus inwardly grinned. Apparently their date was going well, and even if it had kind of been interrupted, he couldn't bring himself to mind.

Not when Lucy was just as excited for the Exceed's arrival as he was.

'Ah, shit.' Laxus thought as he swallowed a groan.

He was really starting to like this woman.

From the moment he saw her, all those years ago, he had immediately noticed her beauty. Honestly, who wouldn't? Blonde, large eyes, body to die for, and practically radiating innocence.

Of course, he had only cared about her appearance at that point. He hadn't had a very favorable opinion of Celestial Spirit mages, thinking that they were weak (though Freed later educated him on the matter after the thing with Loke), and he had been big on strength back then.

He hadn't given her much thought, besides to make a comment to Mira during the Phantom Lord ordeal, and then put an arm around her after Evergreen used her Stone Eyes during the Fairy Tail war he had set up.

The first time he had thought of her as more than a pretty face had been after he found out that she had defeated Bickslow in battle, which _wasn't_ an easy thing to do, especially when they were right above a mountain of things Bickslow could transfer his babies into as soul containers.

Bickslow's account of her fighting with her whip alongside Loke instead of allowing her spirit to do all the work (another stereotype that caused him to sneer more at Celestial Spirit mages) only made him respect her more.

Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to find out more, as his grandfather exiled him from Fairy Tail, not that Laxus could blame the man.

He had always wanted people to treat him normally, not as Makarov's grandson, so how could he complain when he was punished the same as anyone else would be, _especially_ if he deserved it?

The next time he saw Lucy was on Tenrou Island, when they were fighting Hades. Her clock spirit had saved the youngest dragon slayer's life, proving that her magic was indeed useful, and Lucy herself had kept fighting regardless of Hades' obvious superiority in combat and her just as obvious magical fatigue from the exams that Grimoure Heart had interrupted.

Imagine his shock when he saw 10 gold keys attached to her belt. Hadn't she only had three when she joined Fairy Tail, and six when Laxus had last seen her?

There were only 12 in EXISTENCE, damn it! How the hell had she gotten seven of the most powerful Celestial Spirit keys in less than a year?

He didn't know much about how to gauge the strength of a Celestial Spirit mage, but he was fairly sure that she might very well be the only one to have gathered so many Zodiacs in a very long time, especially considering the 88 keys were spread across the entire WORLD, not just Fiore.

But again, he wasn't given the opportunity to get to know her better, this time because of Zeref and Acnologia, because damn it, this was Fairy Tail, and when things went bad...

Well, they went to shit, let's leave it at that.

Lucy was thrown into a portal by the Black Wizard, and Laxus didn't see her again until _apparently_ seven years later!

So much had happened. Alzack and Bisca got married and had a daughter (which was barely conceivable to those who had been stuck on Tenrou), Jellal had been set free, the two Grimoure Heart girls had joined the guild, Romeo had grown up, Kinana was now officially a mage (she hadn't made any progress with Mirajane before the incident), the other second generation dragon slayer had joined, as had many others that helped keep Fairy Tail at the top…

But above all was Lucy.

In those seven years she had grown into an even more beautiful woman, more confident and strategic-minded (her battle against Natsu was _hilarious_), no longer concerned about what others thought of her…

And the best part was that now he didn't feel nearly as dirty when he noticed her, since technically she was now older than him.

He hadn't been surprised to find out that she had become an S-Class mage during their absence.

One of the best things about her was her determination to pick herself up after being shoved down and get stronger from the experience. Fairy Tail was in danger, so she sucked up her pride and utilized her father's connections to help attract new members. She had used her emotions over losing her friends to become stronger so that she would have a better chance of protecting them if it happened again. She had been bruised, battered, and humiliated by that Sabertooth woman, only to take the opportunity to learn a new type of magic so that she wouldn't be caught in that situation again.

The girl was an enigma, all right.

And he had been lucky enough to spend the last few hours _finally_ getting to know her.

The reality was even better than what he had imagined.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a noticeably louder _crack_ sound coming from the egg, and the two mages leaned closer to it automatically.

"Come on…" Laxus whispered almost silently.

"You can do it." Lucy cheered the little Exceed on, smiling as she heard Laxus' own encouragement.

Silence.

Suddenly, a tiny yellow paw burst forth from the egg, and a moment later, the shell crumbled to the ground, leaving an Exceed in its place.

It had yellow fur, with white paws and a white tummy, with large brown eyes kind of like Carla's.

She (for her gender was obvious even to them) blinked up at them sleepily.

Seeing that Laxus didn't really know what to do, Lucy gently picked the Exceed up, cuddling it into her arms.

"Hello, little one." She cooed. "Welcome to the family."

She meant Fairy Tail, of course, but Laxus blushed.

"Hey, kiddo." He said after a moment, scratching behind the Exceed's ears and smiling a bit at the contented purr he received. "Took you long enough."

"Laxus!" Lucy scolded, hitting him lightly, before sighing. "What are you going to name her?"

"Astoria." Laxus muttered.

"That's a really pretty name." she said after a moment, smiling happily as she gently rubbed Astoria's head.

Laxus glanced at the two of them, noticing how quickly Astoria was bonding with the Celestial Spirit mage.

Wait...had Astoria imprinted on Lucy?

That would be that she basically thought of her as a mother already, huh?

Maybe someday.

And if he had chosen her name because it was similar to Astraea, Greek goddess of stars, then so what?

No one had to know.

* * *

Three weeks later, when Astoria said her first word, 'Mama', to Lucy, the two blushed heavily as their guild mates laughed at them.

Laxus, who had sort of been expecting it to happen, was pleased to have been right. Still, he didn't appreciate the teasing.

Many of the guys ended up getting in trouble with either them or their own girlfriends for teasing them.

It was in the aftermath of that incident that Laxus and Lucy finally decided to give being in a relationship a try, though they didn't really refer to each other as their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Still, who could blame little Astoria? Lucy was with Laxus all the time, helping him raise her, and even she could feel the odd tension between the two of them.

* * *

**Please review!**

**This is probably my longest chapter for this story.**

**Ugh, the LaLu scene was a huge pain to write. Doesn't help that I'm horrible at remembering to put LaLu scenes in this story in the first place, so when I do, I have to make them fairly long so it shows that they do in fact have feelings for each other (well, that Laxus has feelings for her at least, but I think it's fairly obvious that they're mutual) and not that I just threw in a pairing for no reason.**

**Lyon honestly annoys me, but then so does Juvia's crush on Gray. I like Juvia's character better, but that being said, I do feel a bit bad for Lyon. Not too bad, though, because of how he brushed off Sherry's affections and now Chelia's (though there's definitely a good reason for that one because otherwise he would be a pedophile, she's only 14). Still, he could just tell her that it isn't going to happen. He's constantly looking for someone to appreciate him, but once he has it, he ignores the person giving it to him. That's how I see it, anyway. Feel free to disagree, but I'm not about to argue about it.**


	38. Decisions to Be Made

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of the things that I got my crossover characters from.**

**Warning: dark and OOC Stoick, spoilers (as if this story isn't one giant spoiler even excluding the other characters and pairings that aren't actually canon), etcetera.**

**ATTENTION! I am planning to re-write this story. This version will still be up, of course, and I'll still be updating, but I've come to a realization that I can make this better. Why? I added a whole bunch of OCs, who I barely utilize. I labeled this as a LaLu story, but there's barely any romance. I promised to bring in Lucy's new spirits, but I completely forgot. I said that I'd add more events to the Grand Magic Games, but I even (for the most part) forgot to do THAT. That, and now that I kind of know where I'm going with this story, it should be a bit more organized.**

**NOTE: If you have any crossover characters (try and stick with animated characters) you want me to consider adding to the re-write, or situations you would like to see the characters in, just review on this chapter and I'll look through them all. No promises whatsoever, and if I'm not familiar with the crossover characters chances are I won't bother with them, but feel free to make suggestions.**

**So, yeah. I think I'll work on the first chapter tonight and post it. If not, it'll likely be up tomorrow.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Princess Hisui E. Fiore sighed, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to stall the incoming headache.

The strange man who claimed to be from the future had been right about everything that had happened so far, but Hisui wasn't entirely convinced that the original Eclipse Project should be abandoned in favor of the new one.

Ten thousand dragons coming to destroy Fiore? If there was any truth to the man's claims, then those dragons needed to be stopped by any means possible.

Still, there was something strange about him, besides him claiming to be from the future.

Not only did she have to deal with all of that business, but there had also been sightings of groups whose presence couldn't mean anything good.

The Exorcists, for one. There were a couple of half-demons participating in the Games who had never caused any trouble, and if those hunters did anything to Fairy Tail's Raven Roth and Rin Okumura, they would be breaking the treaty that they had with Fiore.

On the other hand, there was also a Viking tribe, the 'Hairy Hooligans', which made her more nervous.

They had followed proper protocol, seeking an audience with her father, and claimed to only be curious about the Games, but Hisui wasn't convinced. Vikings were notoriously xenophobic; anything that they didn't consider normal (and magic certainly counted) they had no tolerance of.

So far they hadn't caused any trouble, but from the vibes Hisui got from the blonde female warrior, it was only a matter of time.

The only good thing about the Vikings' presence was that the tribe was skilled in slaying dragons. From the reports, the dragons in the Barbaric Archipelago were significantly different than the ones in Fiorian history, but their experience should be an advantage, right?

Things were such a mess.

She could only hope that Arcadios was fulfilling his mission and preparing to try and get Yukino Aguria and Lucy Heartfilia to cooperate with the plan, not that he'd had the chance to talk to them yet.

Now that she thought about it, she also hadn't been able to arrest that group of Fairy Tail mages so that they could keep her knight alive once he was inevitably arrested for his supposed treason.

Ugh. Yep, there was that headache she had been expecting.

* * *

Yukio's breathing quickened as he listened to the Paladin's orders.

Angel was planning to make an enemy of a kingdom ripe with insanely powerful mages, while the Exorcists only had guns, swords, and a few contracted demons that they didn't even _trust_ on their side.

Was he planning on leading them into a bloodbath, of which they would be on the receiving end?

Maybe it was time he contacted Rin.

It might be too late to mend bridges with his older twin, but the very least Yukio could do was give him a fair warning.

* * *

Valka sighed fondly as she readied Cloudjumper for the upcoming flight.

Her son and his boyfriend (even if the two blushed adorably at the term) had told her all about their many adventures with a magic guild in the kingdom of Fiore: Fairy Tail.

It sounded amazing to her.

Not only did they promote tolerance (something she deeply respected after her experiences in the Hairy Hooligan tribe), but they had taken in her son when he needed someone to care for him.

They had been there for him when she wasn't.

For that reason, she had mixed feelings about the guild, because it was so incredibly important to her son. She had been gearing up to ask the trio to live with her at the Alpha's nest, but now she was hesitant.

She also had a feeling that her son wanted her to come back to Fiore with him, a feeling that was validated when he asked her to come with them back to Crocus to see their guild finish in the Grand Magic Games.

Unable to say no to her son's hopeful green eyes (so similar to her own), she had agreed.

Late at night, after the boys and Toothless had gone to sleep, she went to speak with the Bewilderbeast. Obviously he couldn't speak in a language that she could understand, but she had grown adept at figuring out what his gestures meant.

He listened to her as she told him how happy she was to be able to see the man that he son had become, to see him happy (happier than she could have imagined, having grown up a bit of an outcast in the tribe herself), and how conflicted she felt.

He reassured her by blowing on her gently, coating her entire body in frost, and then touching his forehead to hers.

The Alpha would accept whatever decision she made, and the group would always be welcome to come back if they so wished.

* * *

Stoick growled in fury at Astrid's report.

So, the disappointment he had called a son was also in Crocus? Even worse, the boy was still in the company of that horrid beast.

For a while after Hiccup's banishment Stoick had wondered whether or not he should've given him the chance to slay the beast instead, but now that he knew the hiccup (AN: not meant to be his name, in HTTYD stories hiccup is also a term for a runt) hadn't been strong enough to break through the beast's mind control, his doubts vanished.

Soon he would get his revenge and slay the beast who had hypnotized his last remaining family member.

Then he would move on to kill all remaining dragons.

Too bad his son would have to die. He was only a victim of the demons, after all.

However, he wasn't strong enough to resist the beast's evil magic, and his weakness would not be tolerated.

* * *

**Please review, people! **

**Ah, Hisui. I quite like her character, actually. When she's not falling victim to the tricks of someone who wants to destroy the world, that is. Is it just me, or does she seem to have feelings for Arcadios? I know, he's probably too old for her, and he's loyal to and is sworn to protect her because she's royalty, not because of the girl herself, but still. I wonder. I also like how she seems to be in charge, not the king. I mean, I know he was busy for the Games, but he didn't seem to know about a huge thing as the Eclipse Project, which they'd been planning for at least 7 years. No one even went to tell him what was going on until the day the dragons were meant to attack. **

**I'm not Yukio's biggest fan. He had a few redeeming moments in the anime, but overall he was majorly a bastard. Just because Rin's demon side wasn't sealed anymore, he was fully willing to kill him if he stepped even a toe out of line, he was self-righteous and bossy where he didn't (always) have the right to be, got angry with Rin for not being able to control the demon powers that he hadn't been given much of an **_**opportunity to LEARN CONTOL **_**because if he did the other Exorcists would be up in arms… Yeah. Still, Rin does care about him.**

**Poor Valka (that's Ryder/Hiccup's mom; I don't remember if I mentioned her actual name when I introduced her). She's feeling even guiltier about staying away from Berk and her son because unlike in HTTYD 2, in this story Hiccup's situation **_**didn't**_** get better.**

**Yes, Stoick is WAY out of character. I am totally aware of this. I like fanfictions where he's like this and then either changes too late, or doesn't change his ways at all and it ends up ruining his life. He gets a lot better in the series and second movie than he was during most of the first movie, but still. Fun to write him as an antagonist.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey everyone!**

**DON'T SKIP THIS! I PROMISE IT'S IMPORTANT!**

**So, as some of you know, I've started re-writing this story. I included that information in my author's note for the last chapter, but I know that not everyone reads those, so I figured I'd put it here.**

**I still intend to continue with this version, but the reviewers that have read the other one seem to think that that version is already significantly better than this one.**

**Why am I bothering to re-write a story that has a loyal following and a whole bunch of awesome readers?**

**Because you guys don't deserved the rushed crap that this is. **

**The organization is terrible. Like the story itself all you want, but you cannot deny that. There were like ten chapters separating So-Called Dates parts 1 and 2.**

**I put this as a romance story with LaLu as a pairing, but there's hardly any romance at all, and even less of it is between Lucy and Laxus.**

**I hinted that Lucy got a few new Celestial Spirit keys in during the time skip and learned requip as well as some Heavenly Body magic, but besides me including Nick (the Phoenix spirit), you guys haven't seen any of that.**

**Now that I know vaguely where I'm going with this, and have a reference with this version, hopefully the new one will turn out much better.**

**Chapters 1 and 2 are already up, if you want to check them out.**

**Later!**

**-Rayvn**


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